Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on Monday joked about the now-viral photo of her in the Oval Office holding folders in front of her face during a meeting with President Trump last week in Washington.
Whitmer was asked about the photo and her meeting with Trump on Monday at the Detroit Economic Club, where she jokingly shielded herself with a photo on stage, eliciting laughs from the audience.
“Someone asked me what was going through your mind at that moment and it was 'I don’t want my picture taken.' That’s all it was,” Whitmer said at the forum.
“I kind of wish I hadn’t put my folder in front of my face but whatever,” she continued. “I just wrote a book about learning to laugh about yourself, so I’m pretty good at it. And we all have our moments.”
Whitmer’s remarks follow coverage of her visit to Washington on Friday where she delivered a speech on bipartisanship on a number of issues including manufacturing. The governor then went to the White House to meet with Trump. The governor said she was unexpectedly taken into the Oval Office while the president was speaking to the press.
“The governor was surprised that she was brought into the Oval Office during President Trump’s press conference without any notice of the subject matter,” Whitmer’s spokesperson said. “Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event.”
Photos of Whitmer appearing to look uncomfortable emerged, including one taken by New York Times photographer Eric Lee. In the photos, she can be seen standing under portraits of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson in the Oval Office with two blue folders shielding her face.
The images of Whitmer and her meeting with Trump resulted in criticism from the left and right. In an interview with the Times published Saturday, Whitmer said her job in meeting with Trump was to secure aid for Michiganders.
"Public service is about putting the people of Michigan before my own interest,” Whitmer told the outlet. “My job was to try to get help for people who were suffering as a result of the ice storm, to land more investment at Selfridge Air Base, to protect the Great Lakes and to fight for the auto industry. And that’s what I was doing.”
“I’m always going to show up for the people of Michigan, and that’s probably why I got elected by double digits,” she said.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Whitmer jokes about Oval Office photo, says she regrets shielding face with folder )
Also on site :
- Could 100 Men Really Take on One Gorilla and Win? We Asked ChatGPT
- Trump sees no red line that would change tariff policy - The Atlantic
- Pope Tawadros meets with mayor of Polish town