Michigan Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer is planning to travel to Washington, D.C. this week to meet with President Donald Trump, along with other newly elected governors.
The meeting, described by the White House as a "discussion," is included on Trump's schedule for Thursday afternoon.
“Governor-elect Whitmer will be part of a bipartisan group of governor-elects attending this meeting at the White House," Whitmer spokeswoman Clare Liening said Monday.
Democratic Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer spoke to the Free Press Editorial Board in July 2018, when she was a candidate for governor. (Photo: Quintin Bank, Detroit Free Press)
"This is an opportunity to make sure Michigan has a voice at the table and find common ground on the issues that will be most important to our state moving forward — including federal trade policies, access to affordable health care, protecting our Great Lakes resources and moving forward on critical infrastructure improvements.”
Whitmer, a Democrat, didn't talk about Trump much during her campaign, though polls show she gained considerable support from voters who dislike the Republican president. Trump endorsed Whitmer's Republican opponent, Attorney General Bill Schuette, during the primary.
During her campaign, Whitmer harshly criticized Trump's immigration policies and the separation of parents from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of what was described as a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal immigration.
She also denounced his pledge to withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Agreement as "a catastrophic decision."
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.
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