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Gretchen Whitmer: “The nation's governors are not looking to D.C. for talking…”

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 54:45

There are lots of leaders who are waging the fight in D.C. but there's not going to be one for a little while, and it's not comfortable, and I know we don't like it. But I will also say that The nation's governors are not looking to D.C. for talking points. We're on the ground every day, leading in our states, and we're fighting back where we can and how we can. We're joined in our efforts to do so. (54:45–54:50)

CLAIM

Asserts that governors are not relying on Washington, D.C. for guidance or talking points.

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 know that this instance has helped. Has driven me to make Michigan a better place, a safer place, a more just place.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 17:55-18:06
“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.”
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“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.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 50:00-50:08
“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.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 51:45-51:50
“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…”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Lessons for Those Who Want to Make a Difference | Uploaded October 31, 2025 | 52:47-52:58
“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