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Gretchen Whitmer: “A tariff is really a tax.”

Featuring: Gretchen Whitmer, Democratic | Governor of Michigan

JUST IN: Gretchen Whitmer And AOC Discuss 'Seismic Shifts In US Foreign Policy' In Munich

Published February 13, 2026 | Video Starts at 13:12

Because right now I need some help here in the United States. This, whatever the tariffs that have made a company downsize or that have cost me $1,000 more because A tariff is really a tax. That's what Americans want our leaders to be focused on. And that's what I hear from Michiganders all the time. (13:12–13:15)

CLAIM

Asserts that tariffs function as taxes.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Gretchen Whitmer

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“All of our Automobiles go over 30 times over the course of production.”
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“We've seen nine months of depression in manufacturing.”
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“When we say no to Canada, it forces the Canadian government to do things like talking to China about opening up their doors to some Chinese…”
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“China [has the capacity and tactics] to observe and learn from and steal our intellectual property.”
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“We've been working so hard to shore up our autos, and we're competitive. We're building some of the finest automobiles on the planet.”
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“The President has an opportunity to renegotiate USMCA. He negotiated it in the first place.”
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“USMCA...is the backbone of our economy, not just in Michigan, but for the United States.”
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“These relationships are valued by the majority of people in the United States.”
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“There is a level of fear and concern [from Canadians] that started off as hurt because [they] went from being like an extension of our…”
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“Allyships are built over lots and lots of time. Trust is built over generations and it can be lost fast.”
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“There's no question that the barrage and the change in policies have taken a toll.”
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“Let's seize on USMCA, let's get this done so that the people around the globe can see, all right, we are going to have a policy and it is…”
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“We are going to make investments in chips.”
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“China is without question, I think, a very real threat to a lot of the important things that Americans do every day to make a living, take…”
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“They don't compete on a level playing field.”
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“Tariffs need to be a part of a Conversation [about fair competition].”
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“Taiwan's independence, as I think Ukraine's independence is just and...in the strategic interests of the United States.”
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“Ukraine's independence, keeping their landmass and having the support of all the allies, I think is, is the goal.”
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“The damage that has been done from alienating allies through tariffs I think is going to take a long time to recover from.”
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“I think the way that we used to be perceived by the rest of the world as the good guys who you can count on, who show up when you need help…”
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“The world's changed. It has changed. I don't know that anyone can say that it hasn't.”
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“I don't think that it is a permanent, irredeemable change.”
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“It will take time to rebuild, but I am confident that we will do that.”
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“I am confident that ultimately America will be the ally that we have been and we will continue to be.”
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