About that hug ... Whitmer risks backlash from Democrats as she embraces Trump in Michigan

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — First came their much-analyzed Oval Office moment. Next, their subject-to-interpretation hug.

The two interactions between President Donald Trump and a sometime antagonist, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, reflect the Democratic governor's efforts to move past last year's hard-fought campaign and find common ground with the Republican president — at risk of political backlash.

Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, shared a hug with Trump as he arrived in her home state on Tuesday, less than a month after she shielded her face from cameras during an Oval Office appearance alongside Trump.

It's typical for a governor or another high-ranking state official to greet the president when he steps off Air Force One in their state, a tradition that has historically transcended partisanship.

But the embrace between Trump and Whitmer was notable at a time when Americans are increasingly saying Trump's priorities are off and Democrats are agitating for their leaders to take a more confrontational approach to the president.

Trump was in Michigan to mark his 100th day in office at an evening rally and an earlier announcement with Whitmer of a new fighter jet mission at a National Guard base outside Detroit. The new jets at the base will protect a major economic driver for the area for years to come and represent a big win for Whitmer. The governor credited her Oval Office meeting with Trump for securing the base’s future.

“My job is to do the right thing for the people of Michigan,” she told The Associated Press after her appearance with Trump on Tuesday. “I’m not thinking about anything beyond that, and I know it’s hard for people to get their head around.”

Asked about her hug with Trump, Whitmer chose to describe the encounter differently.

She said Trump greeted her first when he stepped off the plane, and he “shook hands and he leaned in to tell me, you know, congratulations and that I was a big reason that we were making an announcement today, and I was grateful for that.”

She said working with him on some issues doesn't preclude her from criticizing him on others, adding that she's been clear with Trump that his tariffs have been damaging her state.

“I had to be there because this was a big, important thing for the state of Michigan," she said. "Now, he is going to go off to the rally and say a lot of things I disagree with, that I’ll fight against, and that’s fine, but, you know, my job is to do everything I can for the people of Michigan.”

Earlier this month, Whitmer stood by in the Oval Office as Trump signed executive orders and assailed his political opponents, not long after she had delivered a speech nearby that offered soft criticism of him but emphasized shared priorities. Later, The New York Times published a photo showing her using folders to shield her face from cameras while in the Oval Office.

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

The Trump-Whitmer embrace evoked an infamous greeting more than a decade ago between Chris Christie, then the Republican governor of New Jersey, and Barack Obama, the Democratic president. Weeks before the 2012 election, with Christie and Obama both seeking reelection, the president arrived in New Jersey in the aftermath of the devastating Superstorm Sandy. Obama placed his hand on Christie’s shoulder, but angry Republicans labeled it a “hug,” and suggested it contributed to Republican Mitt Romney’s loss to Obama.

It also reflects the challenge for Democratic governors looking to register their disapproval of Trump and his policies without angering a president bent on retribution against his critics or turning off soft Trump voters whose support they might need in future elections.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has also taken heat from some on the left who see him as excessively accommodating of Trump and his policies, showered the president with praise when he landed in Los Angeles to tour wildfire damage during his first week in office. At the time, Newsom was urgently seeking federal disaster funding and looking to dissuade Trump from following through on his threats to extract concessions from California in exchange for financial assistance.

Cooper reported from Phoenix.

President Donald Trump listens as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to members of the Michigan National Guard at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer waits with Michigan National Guard adjutant general Major Gen. Paul Rogers to greet President Donald Trump at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer greets President Donald Trump as he arrives on Air Force One at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump greets Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he arrives on Air Force One at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

PARIS (AP) — The appeal trial of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen opened in Paris on Tuesday, with her 2027 presidential bid hanging on the outcome of the case.

Le Pen, 57, is seeking to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. She was slapped with a five-year ban from holding elected office and two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet.

She says she’s innocent.

The appeal trial is scheduled to last for five weeks, with a verdict expected at a later date.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen returns to court Tuesday to appeal an embezzlement conviction, with her 2027 presidential ambitions hanging on the outcome of the case.

Le Pen, 57, is seeking to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. She was slapped with a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, a further two-year suspended sentence and a 100,000-euro ($116,800) fine.

“I hope I'll be able to convince the judges of my innocence,” Le Pen told reporters Monday. “It’s a new court with new judges. The case will be reset, so to speak.”

She was seen as the potential front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election until last year's ruling, which sent shock waves through French politics. Le Pen denounced it as “a democratic scandal.”

Her National Rally party has been coming out on top in opinion polls, and Le Pen alleged that the judicial system brought out “the nuclear bomb” to prevent her from becoming France’s president.

The appeal trial, involving Le Pen and 11 other defendants, is scheduled to last for five weeks. A panel of three judges at the appeals court in Paris is expected to announce its verdict at a later date, possibly before summer.

Several scenarios are possible, from acquittal to another conviction that may or may not bar her from running in 2027. She could also face up to 10 years in prison and a 1-million euro ($1.17 million) fine.

In March, Le Pen and other party officials were convicted of using money intended for EU parliamentary assistants who instead had other duties between 2004 and 2016, in violation of EU rules. Some actually did work for the party, known as the National Front at the time, in French domestic politics, the court said.

In handing down the sentence, the judge said Le Pen was at the heart of a “system” set up to siphon off EU parliament funds — including to pay for her bodyguard and her chief of staff.

All denied wrongdoing, and Le Pen argued the money was used in a legitimate way. The judge said Le Pen and the others did not enrich themselves personally.

The legal proceedings initially stemmed from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities.

The case and its fallout weigh heavily on Le Pen’s political future after more than a decade spent trying to bring the far right into France’s political mainstream. Since taking over the party from her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has sought to shed its reputation for racism and antisemitism, changing its name, expelling her father in 2015 and softening both the party’s platform and her own public image.

That strategy has paid dividends. The National Rally is now the largest single political group in France’s lower house of parliament and has built a broad network of elected officials across the country.

Le Pen stepped down as party president in 2021 to focus on the presidential race, handing the role to Jordan Bardella, now 30.

If she is ultimately prevented from running in 2027, Bardella is widely expected to be her successor. His popularity has surged, particularly among younger voters, though some within the party have questioned his leadership.

Le Pen's potential conviction would be “deeply worrying for (France's) democracy,” Bardella said Monday in a New Year address.

Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella speaks during his New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, center, is framed by Louis Aliot, left, and conservative lawmaker Eric Ciotti during National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)