Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent state leaders, warned in a speech on Wednesday that President Trump’s trade war could have calamitous effects but was careful not to blame him directly as she embraced a bipartisan message.
“Tariffs need to be used like a scalpel, not a hammer,” Ms. Whitmer said in Washington, at an event space near the White House. “Unfortunately, it’s unclear how this is going to strategically benefit the American economy or the American consumer. And I think that’s the big problem.”
During her address and while responding to questions from Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News anchor, Ms. Whitmer sought to thread a political needle, avoiding direct criticism of Mr. Trump or his administration — a notable contrast with the blunter attacks on the president made by other top Democrats seen as potential presidential contenders in 2028.
She included encouraging anecdotes about meetings she has had in Michigan with Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, even as she cautioned that the administration’s policies could cause an economic collapse. Ms. Whitmer described Mr. Trump’s approach to tariffs as unstable, unpredictable and damaging to corporations that rely on economic stability and steady governance.
“Some days it is negotiable; some days, it’s this percentage or it’s this percentage,” she said of the president’s tariffs. “This will have a paralyzing impact on the economy. And if you think that a company or a country is paying that tariff, you’re being misled. It is the consumer that ends up paying the cost, and it is really, it’s a tax.”
Mr. Trump and Ms. Whitmer have a political history. In 2020, he dismissed her as “that woman from Michigan” during a dispute about his initial response to the coronavirus pandemic. She has since embraced the sobriquet, using it on political merchandise and during speeches.