Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) joked on Monday 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.
At a forum with the Detroit Economic Club, Whitmer was asked about the photo and her meeting with Trump. She humorously shielded her face with a photo on stage, drawing laughter from the audience.
“Someone asked me what was going through my mind at that moment and it was ‘I don’t want my picture taken.’ That’s all it was,” Whitmer said.
“I kind of wish I hadn’t put my folder in front of my face but whatever,” she added. “I just wrote a book about learning to laugh at yourself, so I’m pretty good at it. We all have our moments.”
Whitmer’s comments came after coverage of her visit to Washington on Friday, where she gave a speech about bipartisanship, addressing issues such as manufacturing. Afterward, she went to the White House for a meeting with Trump. The governor said she was unexpectedly brought into the Oval Office while the president was speaking to the press.
“Governor Whitmer was surprised that she was brought into the Oval Office during President Trump’s press conference without any prior notice of the subject matter,” her spokesperson said. “Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions or statements made at that event.”
Photos emerged showing Whitmer looking uncomfortable, with two blue folders covering her face. One of the photos was taken by New York Times photographer Eric Lee, showing her standing under portraits of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson in the Oval Office.
The images of Whitmer’s meeting with Trump sparked criticism from both the left and right. In an interview with the Times published Saturday, Whitmer explained that her role in the meeting was to secure aid for Michiganders.
“Public service is about putting the people of Michigan before my own interest,” she told the outlet. “My job was to try to get help for people suffering from the ice storm, to land more investment at Selfridge Air Base, to protect the Great Lakes, and to fight for the auto industry. 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 added.
