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Gretchen Whitmer: “I know that this instance has helped. Has driven me to make…”

Featuring: Gretchen Whitmer, Democratic | Governor of Michigan

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference

Published October 31, 2025 | Video Starts at 17:55

I hadn't told anyone, and when I did, it was really scary. But now I count myself as not just a survivor, but an advocate, a force for good. And I know that this instance has helped. Has driven me to make Michigan a better place, a safer place, a more just place. And I think that helps me make peace with some of that. Now, trauma, you know, there's a lot. Right. Word. I think everyone probably has some traumatic event in their life. (17:55–18:06)

CLAIM

Asserts that her experiences have motivated her to improve Michigan's safety and justice.

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

“32 recall attempts against me.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 05:11-05:15
“We're a big agriculture state, second most diverse agriculture in the country, second to California.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 41:10-41:17
“The biggest border crossing in this country is in Detroit, Michigan. It is Detroit to Windsor.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 41:34-41:40
“In Michigan, we had the highest youth voter turnout in the country in 2022.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 1:06:05-1:06:11
“He [President Trump] has said he wouldn't [pardon the alleged kidnappers] and he's not done it yet.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 02:11-24:42
“In my first term, I had a polar vortex to navigate three weeks into the job.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 04:38-04:43
“We had a convergence of three storms, and it was negative 55 degrees out.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 04:48-04:53
“A power company had a fire at one of their plants, and we were worried about losing power for a million people overnight.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 04:53-05:01
“Pandemic demonstrations for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd's murder.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 05:05-05:11
“There was a plot to kidnap and kill me.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 05:27-05:30
“My father suggested that I go do an internship down at the Capitol that so few people understand government, and state government in…”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 08:11-08:24
“The lip bar is this business in Detroit, Michigan, and she makes these fabulous lipsticks.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 09:24-09:31
“I issued some of the toughest stay at home orders in the country.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 12:54-13:12
“When I was in the state Senate, I revealed that I had been raped when I was in college.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 13:24-13:31
“There was legislation that was moving through the Senate that would make it much harder for women to access reproductive health care.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 13:39-13:48
“I've got wonderful state police detail. They keep me safe. I've never worried about my individual safety because I'm with the state police…”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 19:18-19:28
“I have personally asked everyone from the White House to my colleagues to turn down the temperature.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 23:40-23:47
“The Trump administration did not have a national strategy [for the pandemic].”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 26:25-26:28
“Detroit was, was one of the hotspots. At the same time New York, Chicago and New Orleans were.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 26:41-26:48
“I am going to continue to do everything in my power to protect the people of Michigan and do the job that I have.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 32:49-32:56
“I need to make sure that I get FEMA relief for my ice storm victims in Michigan.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 33:14-33:22
“It doesn't mean that I don't join every lawsuit against the administration like the SNAP lawsuit we all filed together yesterday.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 33:24-33:33
“It doesn't mean that I don't do everything to undermine their efforts to take Medicaid dollars away from people and states and health…”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 33:33-33:38
“I've got a Republican legislative, Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 35:00-35:06
“We have needed to recapitalize a fighter mission [at a National Air Guard base in Macomb County, Michigan] for a decade.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 37:01-37:07
“I had a commitment from the President that day to get [the fighter mission] done.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 37:31-37:31
“I got it done under this president.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 38:30-38:33
“Republicans and Independents have crossed over to vote for me in my state.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 39:07-39:14
“The snap lawsuit that we Democratic governors filed yesterday, it shows we are going to have millions of people who aren't going to, who are…”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 40:14-40:27
“Michigan, we're so much more sensitive to the impact of tariffs because of our location and because of what we do.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 40:55-41:05
“We are a heavy manufacturing state, disproportionately in autos.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 41:04-41:09
“The punitive nature of all of this is hurting people all across our country, but especially acutely in Michigan.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 42:05-42:14
“The capricious nature of these tariffs is just either paralyzing or they're pulling out investment.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 42:50-42:56
“We stole a headquarters from Florida because it was Perrigo, which is they make generic pharmaceuticals.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 43:54-44:07
“We've made huge investments in our people too.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 44:43-44:47
“You can't just get into the middle class without education beyond high school nowadays.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 45:12-45:18
“Through efforts to bring down the cost of a four-year degree, open up more paths into apprenticeships and into the trades.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 45:22-45:31
“Absolutely, they are, and it's horrid.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 45:56-45:59
“Governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and a US Senate seat are all open seats next year.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 46:40-46:47
“I've created an organization called Fight Like Hell and we are recruiting and training candidates to run for office.”
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“I figure if I can win by 11 points in a state like Michigan, we've got a strategy and a plan that can be replicated in other places that…”
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“I am heightening my role in working with the Democratic Governors of State association on these races next year.”
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“We've got a great bench of talented people in this country right now.”
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“Alyssa Slotkin won our U.S. senate race in Michigan.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 52:36-52:40
“In a sweet swing state like mine right now, all three chief executive offices, women, every one of us told us we can't have all women on the…”
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“We don't have the House, we don't have the Senate, we don't have the White House.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 54:29-54:34
“The nation's governors are not looking to D.C. for talking points.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 54:45-54:50