Gretchen Whitmer's hide-and-hug approach to Trump signals trouble ahead for Democrats

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), a speculated 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, attracted both praise and backlash for appearing alongside President Donald Trump as he announced new federal funding for an Air National Guard base in Michigan.

Whitmer’s physical embrace of Trump, accepting a hug from him upon his arrival at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township on Tuesday before his first 100 days rally in Detroit, draws a stark contrast with other Democratic presidential contenders, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), who told Democrats last weekend in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire that “Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”