Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has “complete confidence” in Biden’s candidacy

Transcript

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

Former President Donald Trump derided Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as the woman in Michigan when the two publicly clashed in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. A Detroit rapper once put out a song about her called "Big Gretch," praising her handling of that pandemic. And as Whitmer writes in a new book, which is out today, she's picked up a host of other nicknames over the years, including Gravity Gretchen because of her reputation as a klutzy kid.

But the question perhaps on many people's minds now is what comes next for Governor Gretchen Whitmer's political future at a moment of uncertainty for her party. She is now a national co-chair of President Biden's reelection campaign. Her book is "True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership And Everything In Between." And Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is here with us now. Governor, welcome.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Thank you. It's good to be with you.

SUMMERS: You share so many memories through your time in office and your life outside of politics in this book. And I want to start by asking you about one memory that you shared that is from the last presidential race. This is at a rally in Detroit, in early March of 2020. And if many of us remember, that is the early days of the pandemic. And then-candidate Biden was there in Detroit with you and Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, the two senators who had run for president themselves in 2020. They were standing alongside you as they endorsed Biden. And I want you to just take a listen to something that then-candidate Biden said at that rally.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Look, I view myself as a bridge - not as anything else. There's an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.

SUMMERS: You heard then-candidate Biden say then that he wanted to be a transitional leader - a bridge. And right now, I will just note, as you know, the presumptive nominees for the two major parties are the same candidates as they were in the year 2020. President Biden today is facing concerns about his fitness to serve and his mental acuity. Governor Whitmer, do you share those concerns?

WHITMER: I don't. You know, I'm proud to be a co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign. I've got complete confidence in our president. He has the receipts. He's delivered, whether it's onshoring supply chains or bringing down the costs of insulin, protecting a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body. These are the fundamentals that I know are weighing on voters all across the country. This president has delivered on these.

And he's an incredibly decent, hardworking public servant, and I'm very, very supportive of his reelection. I do think that we're fortunate right now to have a deep bench of great Democratic talent, and that's what he was referring to in those comments. And that, of course, will continue to be true in the years ahead.

SUMMERS: You mentioned that deep bench. I do have to ask you, in this conversation, about the direction of your party. Your name continues to come up as a person who is a part of that deep bench. I'll note here that President Biden has said he is staying in the race, but I'd like to ask you directly - if he were to withdraw, would you consider jumping in yourself?

WHITMER: You know what? This president is not going to withdraw. He is going to stay on the ballot, and so I'm not going to go down the path of all sorts of potential scenarios that I don't think are ever going to play out. I appreciate that people have suggested I've got some skills that might translate, but you know what? There is a - it is a set field. And any vote that is short of an affirmative vote for Joe Biden supports a potential Trump second term. And we know how devastating that would be for women's rights, for our economy, for our democracy, and that's why I'm not going to waver in my support.

SUMMERS: I want to talk about your state of Michigan. The president will head there on Friday for the fourth time this year. And I do not have to tell you this, but your state has always been a key battleground. I think it's fair to say that this is a state that the President must win to stay in the White House. Do you believe he can?

WHITMER: I do. And one of the things - and I talk about this in the book - is how important it is to listen, to show up, to engage with people who maybe others don't spend time with. In my conversations across Michigan, whether it is around reproductive rights roundtables or it is simply about - how do we restore some decency to this chaotic world with such hot rhetoric? I know that we are aligned.

People want to know that they've got leaders who care about them, who are going to make their lives easier and help them achieve their goals, be able to take care of a family. And President Biden has done that. He'll continue to show up. And my work on the ground, listening and ensuring that the agenda that I strive to accomplish every single day is about helping people keep more money in their pocket and get ahead.

And so whether it is, like I said, roundtables around reproductive rights or just good-paying jobs and American security, all of these things are front and center for voters and the work that I'm doing and certainly the work that President Biden does.

SUMMERS: I want to talk a little bit more about the dynamics there in your state. Michigan is a state that many folks have been paying attention to because of the conversations and the feelings that many people have about the conflict in the Middle East and Israel's war with Hamas. Are there are things that you think the president and the vice president, as they campaign, need to say there to keep voters who care so deeply about those issues - particularly the Muslim and Arab American voters in your state - on their side to show up to support the Biden-Harris ticket in November?

WHITMER: I think it's really important for all of us to always make sure to recognize that everyone is hurting. If there's a universal truth in this moment, it's that our beautiful Jewish community is in pain, our beautiful Arab and Muslim and Palestinian communities are in pain. To recognize that and figure out - how can we bring to bear American pressure on the situation to get hostages returned and to make sure that we rebuild and have a two-state solution? And I think these are critical agenda items that resonate in all communities.

But first and foremost, it's important to recognize that everyone's hurting. Most people in Michigan - and these communities are one or two degrees away from an innocent person losing their life, whether it was on October 7 or the days that followed. And there's a lot of pain, and that's something we can't lose sight of.

SUMMERS: You also write in your book about the issue of reproductive rights, and you've talked about President Biden's record on the issue. I'd like to ask you about the messaging. You said earlier this year that the president should speak out more about abortion. Do you think that he's been striking the appropriate tone on that in debates and on the campaign trail, or is there some ways in which you think he could or should fine-tune his approach heading toward November?

WHITMER: I do think that American voters are smart, and they understand the issue and why it's so personal and why this is something that should be vested in, and only in, the woman who - and her family and perhaps a trusted doctor.

Government should butt out of these incredibly important economic decisions on top of everything else. The most powerful, profound economic decision any of us makes in our lifetime is whether and when to bring a child into the world. For many, it's not a choice at all. It's a desperately wanted pregnancy that can't get carried to term. The government needs to butt out of it, and President Biden shares those values. Certainly, refining language will be something that will continue on as we continue this conversation - this national debate. But I know where this president is at on the issues, and that's why I'm going to work so hard to make sure he gets reelected.

SUMMERS: Governor, through the course of our conversation and other recent media appearances, I have heard you repeatedly be so steadfast in your support for President Biden and the Biden-Harris ticket. But I've also heard you, at the same time, express a great deal of concern about what another Trump presidency could and would mean for the country. So I just want to ask - do you truly believe, especially after these last few weeks, that President Biden is the person who is best positioned to defeat Donald Trump in November?

WHITMER: Listen, President Biden is the Democratic candidate. I am a co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign. I am proud to be because I know, as governor, that this president has done more to help us in Michigan, whether it is fixing the d*** roads or it is plowing more resources into helping make sure that our students get back on track after a pandemic or it is bringing down the cost of insulin.

He has gotten incredible things done, and Michiganders are benefiting from it. So I do think that four more years with this president will help Michiganders get ahead. It will help Americans everywhere get ahead, and that's why I am...

SUMMERS: Can I...

WHITMER: ...Unwavering in my support.

SUMMERS: ...Just ask?

WHITMER: Yeah.

SUMMERS: You're unwavering in your support, but is he the best person to defeat Donald Trump? I just want to make sure I'm clear here.

WHITMER: Our choices on the ballot right now are President Biden and former President Trump. And that is the binary choice in front of us. I am an enthusiastic supporter of President Biden's, and I'm going to work my tail off to make sure he gets a second term.

SUMMERS: Governor, I want to close by asking you about your own future. You are, of course, term-limited. Your governorship will end in 2026. And there are just, as we alluded to, no shortage of questions out there from many people about what might be next for you. So I'll just ask you directly - what's next?

WHITMER: You know what? I don't know yet. I have 2 1/2 years on my term as governor. I've made a commitment to serve out my term, and I love the state of Michigan. I've called it home my whole life, and my kids are there, and my dad is also in Michigan. And so not quite sure what it looks like after I'm done being governor, but I'm going to run through the tape. I don't want to take my eye off the ball, as we've got lots of big, important things that I want to get done between now and the last day as governor of Michigan. I'll keep you posted.

SUMMERS: Sounds good. That's Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Democrat from Michigan. Her new book, "True Gretch," is out today. Governor Whitmer, thank you for joining us.

WHITMER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.