Whitmer 'surprise' appearance at Trump event 'not an endorsement': Spokesperson

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) did not expect to make an appearance in the Oval Office this week when President Trump signed executive orders in front of cameras, her office says.

Whitmer was at the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with Trump to discuss tariffs and opportunities to invest in Michigan's defense assets, including the Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

But a spokesperson for Whitmer told The Hill's sister outlet NewsNation that the Great Lakes governor was "surprised" to be brought into the Oval Office for Trump's signing event.

”The governor was surprised that she was brought into the Oval Office during President Trump’s press conference without any notice of the subject matter,” the spokesperson told NewsNation.

“Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event,” the person added.

During Trump's event, he signed a pair of memoranda directing the Department of Justice to investigate two people who served in his first administration and had pushed back on Trump, and he reiterated unproven claims about the 2020 election being "rigged."

"It was a very corrupt election. They used COVID to cheat," the president told reporters.

Whitmer met with Trump behind closed doors at the White House before the signing event. Trump and Whitmer also met at the White House last month to discuss Michigan's job growth.

The blue state governor has been floated as a potential Democratic presidential contender for 2028.

During a speech in Washington earlier in the day, Whitmer warned against sweeping tariffs, acknowledging a "tough" few days for her state amid new tariffs on the auto industry while voicing agreement for Trump's efforts to boost domestic manufacturing.

“I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and here’s where President Trump and I do agree: We do need to make more stuff in America, more cars and chips, more steel and ships. We do need fair trade,” Whitmer said during her speech.

However, she noted the trade measure shouldn’t be imposed lightly.

“As I’ve said before, I’m not against tariffs outright, but they are a blunt tool. You can’t just bust out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clearly defined end-goal,” she said.

Her spokesperson told NewsNation that the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs announced by Trump on Wednesday afternoon was a “step in the right direction.”

“This afternoon the 90-day pause was announced, and that is a step in the right direction and will provide relief to so many businesses across the state, but we remain concerned about tariffs that will hurt American auto companies,” Whitmer’s office shared in a statement.