Flint Talk

Whitmer Says No To 2028 In The Morning Then Maybe By Afternoon

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI — Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave two different answers on the same day about whether she may run for president in 2028.

In the morning, Whitmer told Fox Two Detroit she would not be part of the 2028 presidential field.

“I will not be one of them in 2028. I can tell you that,” Whitmer said.

She also said she was looking forward to taking a break after her second term as Michigan governor ends and was not focused on running for the White House.

But later that afternoon, after her comments drew attention, Whitmer softened her answer.

After her keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference, Whitmer told reporters she had been answering what she called the “hundredth question of the morning” about 2028.

Then she shifted to a different answer.

“I never thought I would run for governor, so I guess I should know better than to say never say never,” Whitmer said.

Whitmer said she has no announcement and is not currently planning a presidential campaign, but her afternoon comments changed the message from no to maybe.

For critics, that sounds less like clarification and more like political flip flopping. In the morning, Whitmer gave a firm no. By afternoon, that no sounded more like maybe.

That matters because Whitmer is still governor of Michigan. Voters may wonder whether her focus is fully on the job she has now, or whether she is already looking toward the White House.

And for many Michiganders, there is another issue that still sticks: Whitmer promised to fix the damn roads. If she could not get that done the way people expected here in Michigan, why should voters believe she is ready to lead the entire country?

If Whitmer sounds this wishy washy about whether she wants to run for president in 2028, is this the type of leadership voters want in the White House?