Whitmer had a Democratic trifecta after winning reelection in 2022, but in last year’s elections, Trump won the state, and Republicans regained control of the state House. With the split government for her final two years as governor, Whitmer outlined her desire to work with Republicans to help the state’s auto industry in a speech from the Detroit Auto Show.

“Michiganders elected both me and Donald Trump twice, just two years apart. Every one of us swore an oath to the people we serve, and the people expect us to find common ground, especially when it comes to lowering costs, creating good paying manufacturing jobs, boosting research and innovation, and cutting red tape,” Whitmer said.

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“Now I don’t want to pretend we’re always going to agree, but I will always seek collaboration first. I won’t go looking for fights. I won’t back down from them either, because I’m not here to play games,” she added.

The Michigan governor called the current moment “serious” by stressing that the “very core of Michigan’s economy is on the line,” and touted past bipartisan measures, such as legislation passed in 2021 aimed at powering investment in the Great Lakes State.

To ensure the auto industry’s success in Michigan, Whitmer pushed for replacing the job fund with “new and better tools,” for a new payroll tax, “more streamlined, strategic site readiness program,” additonal investments in housing, and more investment in transit. Whitmer also emphasized additional work was needed to improve roads, but said she is “proud” of the work that has been done.

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“[Republican State House Speaker Matt] Hall has said roads are a priority, and last fall, we got started working on a long term solution, but we didn’t quite get there. He said his caucus wants to keep working on this, and so do I. So to all my partners in the legislature, let’s get back to the negotiating table and hammer out a bipartisan deal to get this done in 2025,” Whitmer said.

Whitmer did take a firm stance against Trump’s calls for a blanket tariff on all products coming into the U.S. from Canada as a “one size fits all solution,” noting the close cooperation between Michigan and Ontario, but did say she is not “not opposed to tariffs outright.”

“Think about this, 70% of all the auto parts we make in Michigan go directly to our neighbors every time a Michigan auto part crosses over the border and gets taxed. Those costs will be passed on to you and to consumers at the dealership. Sometimes those parts cross a couple of times throughout production,” Whitmer said.

“That means you’ll pay more to buy a Silverado, or fix the engine of your Mustang, or replace the fender on your Jeep Grand Cherokee. The only winner in that equation is China. They would love nothing more for us to than to watch us cripple our auto ecosystem, all by ourselves. This is a matter of national security,” she added.

The governor concluded her address by saying that she is “optimistic about our future,” she touted her bipartisan accomplishments and noted the state’s “strong fiscal management is paying off.”

Whitmer, a two-term governor, will not be eligible to run for a third term in 2026, but has been floated as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.