Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the leading Democrat from the critical battleground state, on Wednesday cautiously warned against President-elect Donald J. Trump's tariff threats aimed at Canada, even as she emphasized her broad willingness to work with him at the end of his second term. anointing.
His speech, at the Detroit Auto Show, provided one of the clearest examples yet of how Democrats are moving out of the states Mr.
Speaking at a convention center just across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ont., Ms. Whitmer described the strong cultural and industrial ties between the two cities.
Using tariffs as punishment, he said, risks “damaging supply chains, reducing production lines and reducing jobs on both sides of the border.”
Mrs. Whitmer did not mention Mr. Trump is tight-lipped on the topic, but has threatened to impose tariffs on imports from Canada if the country does not reduce the flow of immigrants and fentanyl into the United States. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has discussed retaliation, including threatening to disrupt the province's electricity supply to the United States.
“I'm not against tariffs directly, but we can't treat them as an equitable solution, and we shouldn't use them to punish our closest trading partners,” said Ms. Whitmer, arguing that the approach could encourage China.
“There is nothing they would like more than us, to watch us cripple America's auto ecosystem alone,” he said. “This is a matter of national security.”
Ms. Whitmer also noted that auto parts often cross the US-Canada border more than once during production. A fixed cost each time, he suggested, could mean “you'll pay more to buy a Silverado, fix your Mustang's engine, or replace a fender on your Jeep Grand Cherokee.”
The comments were part of a broader discussion about his economic outlook and response to the challenges and competition facing the auto industry in Michigan, internationally and in other states. The broader industry makes up 20 percent of Michigan's workforce and contributes $304 billion to the state's economy annually, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber.
“We must stay strong to support existing businesses and win new ones,” he said. “We can't just disarm independently, like some on the left and the right would like us to do.” He told Republicans that to really fix the nation's roads, new money would be needed, while telling Democrats that “funding cuts” were needed.
At all times, Mrs. Whitmer backed his words with promises to work on a bipartisan basis both locally and nationally, an approach that took on new urgency after Democrats lost control of the Michigan House of Representatives in November.
He also extended those actions clearly to Mr. Trump, who flipped Michigan in November, four years after President Biden won the state.
Noting that Michiganders have supported him and Mr. Trump, Ms. Whitmer said, “expects us to find common ground.”
The comments of Ms. Whitmer is in stark contrast to the controversial positions taken by elected officials from other deeply Democratic states.
“I don't want to pretend that we will always agree, but I will always want to cooperate first,” said Ms. Whitmer, who has been at odds with Mr. “I will not go looking for wars. I will not back down from them either.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Ms. Whitmer said she wanted to “repeat my efforts to contact him after the inauguration.”
“President Trump cares about Michigan, he's spent a lot of time here in Michigan and Michigan helped elect him to the White House,” he said of the man often described as flattering. “I want to make sure that we don't take our eye off the ball and that we focus more on using prices as a slingshot and not a sledgehammer.”
During her speech, Ms. Whitmer also walked a careful line on a different hot-button issue in the state: the transition to electric vehicles.
“We don't care what you drive,” he said to applause. “We just care that it's made right here in Michigan, by Michigan workers.”
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