Michigan Gov. Reacts to Trump’s State of the Union Address

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, let me just first ask you, because a lot of the commentary around the State of the Union has been how unusual it has been and how theatrical, but how incredibly it played to Donald Trump’s strength, the showmanship, you know, all of the things that he does frankly very, very well.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Well, it was. It was 90 minutes of theatre. It was complete fiction. But, you know, he is the master of a reality show. The sad truth, though, is that this is our reality and that’s really what I was trying to convey in my response to, you know, draft — to write a response to — in the best of circumstances with someone who is rational and predictable, is difficult enough. But with this president in this environment in the midst of an impeachment trial, it was a challenge. I wasn’t particularly surprised by what he did, but you’re right, there was a lot of showmanship. That is — that’s something he’s always brought to the table.

AMANPOUR: OK. So, I am really interested to hear you talk and admit this challenge in — as a Democratic governor, as the Democratic Party, frankly, not quite knowing how to challenge and respond in a way that kind of resonates. So, we’ve heard that the president obviously used his opening arguments when everybody probably was tuned in to talk about, you know, the great American comeback, the booming economy, the rock-bottom unemployment, et cetera. You then responded by saying when the president says, the economy is strong, my question is strong for whom? Strong for the wealthy? Who are reaping the rewards from tax cuts they don’t need? The America economy needs to be a different kind of strong. So, OK, that’s you fact-checking the president. But is it working and will it work? You know, just before the State of the Union, his popularity was up at record 49 percent for him. That’s the highest for him.

WHITMER: So, you know, part of what I was communicating is our economy isn’t just supposed to be strong for the wealthy. I mean, that’s who Donald Trump has protected and been fighting for. It needs to be strong for, you know, the single mom who is taking on extra hours to pay for her daughter’s soccer cleats, it strong for the teacher that is paying money out of her own pocket to bring supplies in the school and strong for the small business owner who is trying to make payroll. And frankly, strong for the farmer and auto worker who are in a state of anxiety every time a tweet comes out of the White House. We need to be focused on the fundamentals for the American public, ensuring that everyone has a real path into a good life, whether it’s through a union apprenticeship or a community college certificate or a four-year degree without taking on a lifetime of debt.