AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took time to talk tariffs after signing an executive directive at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills to boost training and college enrollment for young men.
She likened tariffs to a scalpel but says President Donald Trump is using them like a blunt tool.
“You don’t use them to hammer the American economy, you use it to level, and I think that’s why we gotta have a real strategy around manufacturing,” Whitmer said. “I’m glad he (Trump) changed his policy around reciprocal tariffs, but we still have very concerning manufacturing tariffs that Michigan feels harder than anyone else.”
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“Were you able to convey that message to President Trump at all?” 7 News Detroit reporter Randy Wimbley asked.
“Of course. Yes,” Gov. Whitmer responded.
Whitmer's comments come on the heels of a trip to Washington and a visit to the Oval Office for what she thought was a private meeting with Trump but turned out to be a press conference in which he signed an executive order targeting a political opponent.
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“My presence was not an endorsement of any of the actions he took or the comments that he made,” Whitmer said.
The tariffs are taking a toll on the auto industry, which makes up about 20% of the state’s economy. They’re said to be tied to layoffs, the idling of plants and a projected drop in autoworkers’ profit sharing and bonuses. Tariffs on auto parts remain in place despite the president’s 90-day pause reciprocal tariffs.
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“This constant flux hurts people and hurts the Michigan economy, and that’s part of my message. So, the about-face was a positive thing, but it doesn’t fix the problem we’re still confronting,” Whitmer said.
But Doug King says without the tariffs, his job would’ve left the country.
“I work for Stellantis and they’re on record saying they wanted to move 80% of their manufacturing to low-cost countries, so I’m all for what President Trump is doing,” King said.
Republican state Rep. Joe Aragona supports the decisions Trump has made.
“I keep hearing the argument about using a scalpel, not a blunt tool and I’ve heard it out of many Democrats including my Democrats in the House. The thing is with tariffs, with DOGE, it’s all working,” Republican state Rep. Joe Aragona said. “With the tariffs, the president’s plan has worked. We've had, the White House has had over 50 countries, I believe, come to the White House and say OK, we need to figure something out.”
State House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, was also in the Oval Office Wednesday. He and Whitmer advocated for Michigan’s ice storm victims, action on Asian carp in the Great Lakes and getting new aircraft based at Selfridge Air National Guard.
