Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was mocked after she was captured hiding her face behind a stack of binders to avoid being seen standing in the Oval Office when President Donald Trump spoke to the press.
The 53-year-old Democrat was flanked by two White House aides as she shielded her identity behind a set of blue folders she was holding before her scheduled meeting with Trump on April 9, according to a photo taken by the New York Times.
Whitmer was in Washington DC to discuss issues including tariffs and a recent ice storm which Whitmer has since asked for a Presidential Emergency Declaration.
The Wolverine State leader’s team claims Whitmer was surprised when she was brought into the Oval Office in front of the cameras as Trump signed several executive orders and proclamations.
Critics viewed the viral photo as Whitmer’s attempt to not be associated with the 78-year-old commander in chief after she traveled to the White House with a bipartisan delegation to address several issues affecting her state.
“Gretchen Whitmer hiding behind her files in the White House is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. This is what my 2-year-old does,” one X user commented.
“Whitmer covering her face is the perfect metaphor for the Democratic Party,” another said.
“President Trump broke Governor Whitmer,” read a third comment.
Others took a look at Whitmer’s past actions on camera and questioned her motives while at the White House.
“I need help understanding Democrat thinking. Gretchen Whitmer was embarrassed to be photographed standing in the Oval Office, but not embarrassed enough to do this,” another person added, referencing Whitmer’s bizarre campaign video of her feeding Doritos to liberal podcast host Liz Plank.
On Wednesday, Whitmer stood near the Resolute Desk alongside Michigan State House Speaker Matt Hall and several of Trump’s cabinet secretaries.
During the appearance, Trump ordered the Justice Department to launch investigations of “Anonymous” author Miles Taylor for leaking during his first term and into former cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs for attesting to the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
Trump acknowledged Whitmer’s presence, praising her for “an excellent job” in Michigan.
“We’re honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, great state of Michigan, and she’s been, she’s really done an excellent job, very good person,” he said.
She did not have any prior knowledge of the signing ceremony, her office told CNN.
None of the orders signed by Trump were backed by Whitmer, as her team ensured her presence wasn’t an endorsement.
But supporters of the two-term governor still criticized her for being in the room.
“This does not look like the politics of resistance,” CNN host Audie Cornish said.
“Just a f–king disaster,” one Democratic operative told NBC News anonymously. “It feels like it removes some of the momentum she had as a politically savvy swing-state Dem.”
Whitmer has reportedly changed her tone toward Trump during his second term, having sent a letter to the president the day after his inauguration.
She praised the newly sworn-in president and thanked him for mentioning the auto industry during his inaugural speech, according to the New York Times.
She had also written her cellphone number down, telling Trump to call her if needed.
