Trump offers rare praise for Michigan Gov. Whitmer as she appears with him in Oval Office

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a potential 2028 White House candidate, stood awkwardly in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump signed executive orders and assailed his political opponents on Wednesday, not long after she delivered a speech nearby that offered soft criticism of him but emphasized shared priorities.

At the top of his remarks, Trump praised the second-term Democratic governor as a “very good person” who has done an “excellent job" — a sharp departure from his tone in his first presidency toward Whitmer, once one of his fiercest opponents. She was feet from his desk when he later signed a pair of memoranda directing the Justice Department to investigate two of his critics and signed an executive order exacting retribution against a law firm whose work he opposed.

Whitmer's office later said in a statement that she was “surprised” that she was brought into the Oval Office and that "her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event.”

Whitmer was in Washington to deliver a “Build, America, Build” address in which she called for bipartisan cooperation to strengthen American manufacturing. She was at the White House for her second one-on-one meeting with Trump in less than a month, this time to talk about tariffs that were expected to disproportionately affect Michigan, whose economy is closely tied to an auto industry reliant on trade with Canada, Mexico and other countries.

Whitmer’s approach stands in stark contrast to that of other high-profile Democratic governors, many of whom are also seen as potential contenders for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination. But Whitmer faces a more challenging political landscape than leaders such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker or California Gov. Gavin Newsom as she represents a state with a divided state legislature and that went for Trump in two of the last three elections.

But even Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of a state that voted for Trump in 2024, has taken a more critical approach toward Trump, telling reporters Tuesday that Trump is “looking to screw over our farmers” with tariffs.

In her speech Wednesday, which came before Trump announced he was pausing tariffs in most nations except for China, Whitmer highlighted areas of agreement with Trump on tariffs but criticized how they had been implemented.

“I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and I can tell you, here’s where President Trump and I do agree. We do need to make more stuff in America,” said Whitmer, before adding, “I’m not against tariffs outright, but it is a blunt tool. You can’t just pull out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clear defined end-goal.”

Once one of Trump’s most vocal critics during his first term and the campaign trail last year, Whitmer has adopted a more measured tone toward the president since his reelection, delivering multiple speeches in which she has called for finding “common ground.”

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Whitmer said during a discussion after her speech. “My oath to the people of Michigan is to continue to show up, even when it means I’m going to get my lunch handed to me.”

Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis directly responded to Whitmer's speech Wednesday, saying the “tariff hammer” Whitmer referred to “winds up hitting your own hand rather than the nail.”

“Tariffs are bad outright because they lead to higher prices and destroy American manufacturing,” Polis said on social media.

Pritzker has remained a leading voice of state-level opposition to Trump, sharply criticizing the new tariffs this week. Meanwhile, Newsom appealed directly to international partners, urging them to spare his state from retaliatory measures and declaring, “California is not Washington, D.C.”

Whitmer's balance was seen in her address Wednesday and the conversation with former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson afterward. She agreed with Trump on the need to build more in America but made it clear that she disagrees with his approach to tariffs, emphasizing that such a shift “doesn’t happen overnight.”

“There’s not a shortcut here. Strategic reindustrialization must be a bipartisan project that spans multiple presidential administrations,” Whitmer said in her address. “We need to be strategic about tariffs on the technology we actually want to make in America.”

Whitmer — who has less than two years left in office because of term limits — has spent much of this year traveling outside Michigan on international trade trips and visits to Washington, D.C., and other states, following a 2024 in which she dedicated considerable time campaigning for fellow Democrats.

Despite this, she reiterated on Wednesday that she is not signaling a run for president in 2028, though her speech is unlikely to quiet the speculation.

“This year and in the years to come — no matter who’s in the White House — we need to be betting on American workers. We need to bring chip manufactures back home. Let’s dominate the seas and the skies and the roads. Let’s innovate and let’s build,” Whitmer said in closing.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with former television journalist Gretchen Carlson, not shown, at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer arrives to give a policy speech at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with former television journalist Gretchen Carlson at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Former television journalist Gretchen Carlson speaks with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, not shown, at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with former television journalist Gretchen Carlson, not shown, at an event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)