On ‘The View,’ Gretchen Whitmer Plays Coy About Running for President in 2028

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Amid reports that the Democratic Party is trying to determine its new central leadership in the wake of the unsuccessful 2024 general election, one name that has emerged as a big contender for the job is Gretchen Whitmer. And on Tuesday’s (January 28) episode of The View, the Michigan governor appeared to promote her new memoir, Big Gretch, and responded to a question about her future in politics.

Whitmer, whose current term in office ends in 2026, was actually asked about two potential new office runs: that of outgoing Senator Gary Peters, who announced he’s not seeking reeleection, and that of the president. 

“So the first question, three letters: NFW,” she said, invoking the “no f**king way” acronym. “I am not going anywhere. I’ve got two more years on my term. Got a lot of things I want to get done as governor.”

As forceful as her response to the senatorial campaign option was, though, she was a lot more cagey about a potential run for the nation’s highest office.

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“What comes after that? I don’t know yet. I really don’t,” she said. “I will never totally check out, but I might want to walk the Earth for a little while again, get reacquainted with my family.” 

Whitmer was also asked to respond to Donald Trump’s use of certain nicknames against her, like “That Woman in Michigan” and revealed how she chooses owning it as a defense mechanism. “In this book, [I wrote about] dealing with bullies by taking away their weapon and making it your shield by embracing ‘That Woman From Michigan,” she said, pointing to T-shirts that certain supporters began to sell with that emblem on it.

Elsewhere in her interview, Whitmer touted her state’s record on handling the Northern border, her condemnation for the pardoning of violent January 6th rioters and insurrectionists, and a potential new tagline for the Democrats to use if they want to win elections: “Fix the d*** roads.”

The View, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC

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