Gov. Gretchen Whitmer willing to 'find common ground' with Trump: 'I know Donald Trump cares about Michigan'

In the wake of the Republican trifecta, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is trying another tone with Donald Trump: "I know Donald Trump cares about Michigan. And I’m hoping that because of that, we’ll be able to find some common ground in some important ways."

The blue leader's conciliatory words in an interview with CNN are a far cry from the cross accusations she poured on the president-elect during his first term, when, at a fever pitch during early in the pandemic, she wrote to him that he said he was going to "stand with Michigan," but he had to "prove it".

"People in Michigan, like a majority of Americans, voted for Donald Trump, and my oath is to Michigan," she declared in her last interview. Trump won the swing state with 49.7% of the vote to Kamala Harris' 48.3%, according to the AP tally. Although four years earlier a majority opted for Joe Biden, in previous polls Trump had also come out on top.

As recently as last month, Whitmer announced that she would not be part of the alliance of anti-Trump governors started by his counterparts in Illinois, JB Pritzker, and Colorado, Jared Polis. Thus, the influential Democrat, who sounded like Biden's replacement in 2024 and is a favorite to lead the party in 2028, further distances herself from some of her colleagues who pledged war on the Republican and moves closer to others like Kathy Hochul, New York.