Political leaders have been sounding the alarm over dangerous Asian carp for years, and one of the jumping fish may have just taken out Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer‘s political career.
Asian carp, an invasive species that has an endless appetite, has been making its way up the Chicago River, threatening the ecosystem of Lake Michigan. Wildlife officials have been successful so far in keeping the horrible fish out of the Great Lakes.
Wild videos show the large carp leaping out of the water upon a boat motor’s vibration, often striking fishermen and causing injuries. As Whitmer visited President Donald Trump to lobby for funding to combat Asian carp, it seems the problem itself jumped out and bit her political future.
Whitmer, a possible 2028 presidential candidate sidling up to Trump as the Democratic base shifts even more radically left, stood behind the Oval Office cameras as Trump signed executive orders on Wednesday. Then Trump delivered a kiss of death that would make Vito Corleone proud: “We’re honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, the great State of Michigan, and she’s been, she’s really done an excellent job, a very good person,” he said.
The praise stands in stark contrast to the statements he’s made while campaigning in Michigan, where he routinely slammed her brutal pandemic policies and her husband’s attempt to get special treatment.
But Trump knows his praise is deadly in a Democrat primary, and Whitmer, who is courting Trump only to get federal money for Michigan, will have a choice to make: Will she give up the bucks for her political career, or will she jeopardize her presidential ambitions to try to sweet-talk the president into maybe throwing some money her way?
Either way, it doesn’t end well for Whitmer, and I think Trump knows that. In 2018, real estate investor Barbara Corcoran said one of Trump’s talents is to “see what your weakness is and play into it.” She continued, “He is a genius at picking out the vulnerabilities in someone’s personality.”
For Whitmer, it’s the insatiable desire to keep spending money and maintain the facade of bipartisanship in an era of polarization. But Whitmer’s own friends didn’t hesitate to voice their displeasure at her public display of affection for MAGA. Democratic Michigan state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky posted this vile statement on X, “There is no middle ground to be found with an administration that is wiping its ass with the Constitution.”
Another one of the loudest Democratic Party activists in the Michigan Legislature made another observation just moments after Trump had finished speaking. State Rep. Betsy Coffia posted, “Normalizing an authoritarian is bad. Why does (that) need to be said?”
It’s clear Whitmer has severely harmed her brand with the left thanks to this one impromptu visit to the Oval Office. A statement was released from Whitmer’s office saying, “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. Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event.”
THE US MUST STAND UP TO PUTIN, NOW
The statement backfired and brought admonishment from Democratic-leaning pundit Bill Kristol. He posted, “Gov. Whitmer stands in Oval Office as Trump signs disgraceful executive orders targeting Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor. She doesn’t walk out. She doesn’t say anything after to the media. Later on, her office puts out a weak statement. Be better, Gov. Whitmer. Be like Gov. Mills.”
The Democratic reaction locally and nationally confirmed what we all suspected: the Asian carp claimed one more victim this week.
Tudor Dixon is a former Republican gubernatorial nominee, executive in Michigan’s steel industry, breast cancer survivor, and working mother of four girls. She is currently the host of The Tudor Dixon Podcast.
