Michigan serves as an interesting state in the 2024 presidential election. Except for former and potentially future President Donald Trump's narrow win there in 2016, the state has voted for the Democratic nominee for president every year since 1992. Trump may just win it again, though, especially considering how unpopular President Joe Biden is there and around the country. Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) is a popular enough figure in the state, though she's been cagey with the press, so it's always interesting to see how she handles being asked about the 2024 presidential election, as she was over the weekend.
While talking to host Dana Bash on CNN's "State of the Union," Whitmer was all too eager to discuss abortion at the start of her appearance, as she ranted and raved about how Republicans are not only looking to restrict abortion but supposedly IVF and contraception as well. It's been a favorite talking point of hers and fellow Democrats, though last week's embarrassing show vote in the U.S. Senate didn't work in their favor.
She was also all too happy to declare, "Well, I think that the fact of the matter is, we know, under this democracy, no one's above the law. Everyone is held into account," despite how we live in a constitutional republic. Dana Bash has asked Whitmer about Vice President Kamala Harris' remarks in Detroit on Saturday night, in which Harris claimed, "Donald Trump thinks he is above the law."
"We have a system of jurisprudence that we have to have confidence in. And then when you take that oath of office, we expect our leaders to live up to that oath. And this former president is now a convicted felon. He is the standard-bearer, unfortunately, for the Republican Party in this moment," Whitmer said as part of her response, despite how the trumped up charges brought against Trump by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg actually lead people to have less of that confidence. Last week, a poll released by CBS News found that while respondents agreed with the verdict, a plurality, 40 percent, said they are now "less confident in the U.S. justice system."
Her response also acknowledged how "this is a high-stakes election," though she used it as a chance to try to portray Biden as an attractive candidate. She framed the election as one "where you have got someone who flouts the law and cheats and just got caught, and someone who has, over the course of his lifetime, made serving the public the only thing that he is focused on." Adding, "He has delivered for the American people."
"And we have got a stark decision in front of us. And I really think that people need to take this moment very seriously and get out and vote because this is high-stakes," Whitmer continued, emphasizing a narrative she had already mentioned.
The questions got more difficult, though. "I want to turn to a different, very different trial. And that is one that is going on in Delaware with the president's son, Hunter Biden," Bash pointed out. "He is on trial for obtaining and possessing a firearm while under the influence of illegal drugs, which was against the law. Republican Lindsey Graham says that an average American would not have been prosecuted for this."
It was at that point that Whitmer was having audio issues, forcing the show to take a commercial break and speak to other guests before the governor returned.
As our friends at Twitchy highlighted, users flocked to X to point out how obvious it was from her facial expressions that she was being told to cut the interview short.
You can literally see at the 18 second mark when someone signals Witmer that this interview is about to end
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) June 9, 2024
Every time I see her, I think of her over the top Covid lockdown actions. She banned the sale of gardening seeds because she didn’t want people outside.
— Brian Doherty (@BDOH) June 10, 2024
Further, this isn't even the first time Whitmer has cut interviews short due to conveniently timed technical difficulties. She didn't want to talk to local news outlet Fox 2 about whether or not she had "any regrets" about how she handled COVID lockdowns.
Whitmer ended up winning reelection by more than 10 points against Republican nominee Tudor Dixon, making such tactics even more shameful and unnecessary.
It’s not the first time Gretchen Whitmer has mysteriously had “technical issues” to avoid answering tough questions.
— Sara Broadwater (@sarabroadwater) June 9, 2024
She didn’t want to answer for her COVID lockdown policies either: https://t.co/fIRO9dcBbG pic.twitter.com/aumWAaO4UT
First Son Hunter Biden and his legal problems put Biden into something of a quandary, especially after Trump was found "guilty" on 34 felony counts a little over a week ago and Democrats love to proclaim how "nobody is above the law." Just as Trump is labeled a "convicted felon," Hunter Biden may soon be one as well, as he's currently on trial in Delaware for gun charges. The jury has already started deliberations, and a verdict could come later on Monday or in the days ahead. Mia has been on the ground covering the trial, from day 1, as well as days 2, 3, 4, 5, and Monday's day 6.
CNN managed to bring Whitmer back on, and she was forced to answer the question about Hunter Biden, sort of. As Bash repeated her question, the governor responded, "You know, I don't know how to weigh in on that, Dana." When she had more to add, it was to provide cover for the president. "I will just say this. I saw and I was happy to see, when the president was asked about this, he will have confidence in the judicial system. He's not going to undermine it. And I think we will see how it plays out."
Although Bash did not ask her about Trump or the November presidential election, that's what Whitmer spoke further to. "But, right now, we know that, in this country, there is a stark choice in front of us between a president who respects the rule of law and a former president who is a convicted felon, who wants to use the implements of government to go after his enemies, and is running on vengeance and grievance as his platform, versus the sitting president, who has delivered for this country and respects the judiciary and wants to shore up this democracy," she claimed. "It's a lot at stake."
Democrats keep going with such a narrative, but in reality, what she's saying is true about Biden. In Biden's case, though, it's not merely that he "wants to use the implements of government to go after his enemies," he already has.
Rather than push back against anything Whitmer said, Bash asked, "Should the president lean in more on the kind of message you just delivered?"
Whitmer, in her response, actually made quite the telling point. "You know what? I think it's important for us to be talking about these things. You know, the American people are busy. They're good, hardworking people who expect their government to work as hard as they do and to be as good, if not better than they are, to respect the oath of office, to respect our institutions, to fight for every American's right to make their own decisions about their bodies, to have a voice and a vote in this democracy."
Trump supporters, such as Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND), who is reportedly being considered to be Trump's running mate, have made similar points as to how "the American people are busy," as well as worried about other concerns before Trump's trial, such as inflation and immigration, issues which Biden receives particularly poor marks for.
Whitmer, however, made it about abortion and threats to democracy, even though, again, we live in a constitutional republic. Further, polling has shown that voters aren't too sold on Trump being this great threat to democracy.
"And I think all of those things are very much at stake here. So I'm going to be talking about that. I'm going to be reminding people. And I'm confident that the average person in this country, who's just trying to get ahead, is ultimately going to be a part of the direction of this election and is going to weigh in and vote for Joe Biden," Whitmer continued.
When talking about how close Michigan elections are, Whitmer was asked about Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr qualifying for the ballot there. She mostly used it as yet another opportunity to sell Biden.
"But here's what I know. When you get on the ground and you show up and you talk to people and you listen, it helps make sure that you stay focused on the things that matter. President Biden has a huge list of accomplishments. We're seeing onshoring of supply chains. We're seeing the growth of good manufacturing jobs," she offered in part, even though he has poor marks on the issues that matter to American voters overall.
"Certainly, Kennedy and – or any third-party candidate – gives me some concern, and it's to be taken seriously. And that's why we're showing up and we're working hard in all 83 counties to earn the votes of the people. There are a lot of good traditional Republicans who don't feel at home with the convicted felon at the top of the ballot, who know that Kennedy has got lots of far-out, kind of wild ideas about science and the future, and doesn't even have the support of his own family," she said when acknowledging the role Kennedy plays.
That Whitmer claims "there are a lot of good traditional Republicans" may be pushing it, given how Trump has been able to hold onto most of his base even after his conviction.
"All that being said, we can't make any assumptions. We got to earn every single vote. And that's what we're doing," Whitmer acknowledged.
Besides how close the election looks to be in Michigan as a key battleground state, Biden is unpopular in Michigan in part over what support he's dared to show Israel in the days following the October 7 terrorist attack that Hamas perpetrated against our ally in the Middle East. The Israel-Hamas conflict has thus created something of a headache for Democratic politicians, especially in Michigan. Over the weekend, the IDF rescued four hostages abducted by Hamas as part of a rescue mission, which Whitmer was curiously not asked about, although CNN overall has provided problematic coverage on the conflict since October 7 and this rescue mission.
