Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sparked buzz online after appearing to shield her face during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
She briefly held a folder in front of her face, captured in a photo by the New York Times. Moments later, she lowered it as Trump spoke to reporters and urged her to comment.
The meeting covered recovery from a recent ice storm, funding for Selfridge Air National Guard base, and support for Michigan’s auto industry and Great Lakes.
Whitmer stood nearby as Trump signed executive orders, joined by Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall and top Cabinet officials.
"We're honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, great state of Michigan. And, she's been -- she's really done an excellent job. And a very good person," Trump said.
Afterward, Whitmer told reporters she had expected a private meeting, not a press event. She was caught off guard.
Online reactions came fast.
"Whitmer covering her face is the perfect metaphor for the Democratic Party," one person posted.
Another joked, "Gretchen Whitmer hiding behind her files in the White House is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. This is what my 2 year old does."
"Was this the nail in the coffin of Gretchen Whitmer's political aspirations?" someone else chimed in.
Critics mocked her for being “embarrassed” to appear with Trump, while pointing to a 2024 video where she put a Dorito in a podcaster’s mouth — a clip some said mocked a Christian ritual.
The folder moment showed her standing between Trump aide Natalie Harpe and Deputy Assistant Alex Myer, who shared the image on X, captioned, "#NewProfilePic."
Whitmer had traveled to D.C. to give a “Build, America, Build” speech urging bipartisan support for U.S. manufacturing. It marked her second White House visit in under a month.
In her address, she aligned with Trump on the need to strengthen domestic industry, but pushed back on his trade tactics.
"I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and I can tell you, here’s where President Trump and I do agree. We do need to make more stuff in America," Whitmer said.
"I’m not against tariffs outright, but it is a blunt tool. You can’t just pull out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clear defined end-goal."
Unlike other high-profile Democrats eyeing 2028, Whitmer faces a trickier path. She governs a politically split state that Trump carried in two of the last three elections.