Gretchen Whitmer says it’s not ‘paranoia’ to fear Trump using the military in elections

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says her swing state is preparing for Trump administration efforts to disrupt voting in 2026 and 2028.

In an NPR interview, Whitmer did not accuse the administration of specific plans to interfere. But, she said, “It would be a mistake to assume that they’re not going to,” and said Democrats are preparing through “table top” exercises.

The governor sat down with me for the video interview on Thursday during her visit to the Detroit Auto Show, pulling up a chair next to a red Cadillac Escalade. The show is at Huntington Place, the same convention center that was a ballot-counting site in 2020, when pro-Trump protesters banged on windows and tried to stop the count.

Whitmer is beginning her eighth and final year as governor. She is term-limited and not currently a candidate for anything, though she is often mentioned as a presidential or vice-presidential contender. She has made no public moves toward running in 2028, though, as the vice-chair of the Democratic Governors Association, she says she is focused on electing other Democrats.

You can watch the full video interview above or on YouTube above. Below are highlights:

Democratic governors are preparing for further election disruptions 

Asked if she assumed that pro-Trump forces would attempt to interfere with ballot counting, Whitmer said, “It would be a mistake to assume that they’re not going to. So I don’t know precisely what it is that they might come up with. But we’ve got smart, sophisticated, savvy people around the table top that we will continue to get prepared.”

Asked about fears that Trump’s immigration crackdown — deploying thousands of federal personnel into American cities — would become a tool for controlling elections, Whitmer said, “I don’t think it’s paranoia to have that concern.”

She said Democratic governors are discussing how to respond, and performing “table top” exercises, though she gave few specifics. “There are important reasons that I’m not going to go into a whole lot more detail,” Whitmer said.

She says Trump’s tariffs have “taken a terrible toll”

Whitmer used that alliterative phrase during a speech at the Detroit Auto Show. She said U.S. auto manufacturing depended on parts and materials sourced from around the world, especially Canada. U.S. automakers have said tariffs cost them billions of dollars in 2025.

The United Auto Workers union has spoken favorably of tariffs, expressing hope that they would return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Whitmer conceded that “some of the leadership says they like tariffs,” but “we are seeing a contraction of U.S. manufacturing. That’s job losses. And ultimately, their rank and file members have got to be able to afford to take care of their families.” Asked how she might persuade union leaders, she said, “I’m not working to persuade them to change their mind. I’m doing what I know to be the right thing to do for the Michigan economy, for the United States economy.”

She is trying to understand Democrats’ loss of support among men in 2024

Her state of the state speech in 2025 warned of “a generation of men falling behind their fathers and their grandfathers.”

Asked to explain her thinking, she said, “When we look at the efforts that we undertook to make college or skill sets more affordable, women were signing up to two to one,” compared with men. She added, “When we announced opportunities that bring down the cost of a first home payment. Women were signing up 2 to 1 for men. We were not reaching men.”

Asked about analysts who argue that many men are demoralized or disconnected, she said, “I’m listening to all, probably a lot, of the same podcasts that you are to understand what can we do. How do we bridge this gap? It is real. And I think that’s the first step.”

She says America is ready to elect a woman president

Last year, former first lady Michelle Obama said to voters at a public event, “You are not ready” to elect a woman, judging by the 2024 election results.

“I love Michelle Obama,” Whitmer said. “So the last thing I want to do is disagree with her. But, you know, I think America is ready for a woman president.” She said Kamala Harris’ defeat in 2024 was not “just gender,” but a variety of factors. “We have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future,” Whitmer said.