Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joked on Monday about the widely circulated photo showing her covering her face with folders during a surprise appearance in the Oval Office last week while President Trump was speaking to the press.
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Whitmer brought some humor to the moment by mimicking the pose with a photo, prompting laughter from the crowd. “Someone asked me what I was thinking at that moment, and honestly, it was just, ‘I don’t want my picture taken.’ That’s all it was,” she said during her remarks.
“I kind of wish I hadn’t put the 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 that now. We all have our moments.”
The governor’s comments followed her Friday visit to Washington, where she gave a speech focused on bipartisan cooperation, particularly around boosting American manufacturing. Afterward, she headed to the White House for what was expected to be a standard meeting but ended up being pulled unexpectedly into the Oval Office while President Trump was addressing the media.
According to her office, Whitmer had not been told in advance about the nature of the appearance. “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,” a spokesperson said. “Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event.”
Images captured by New York Times photographer Eric Lee quickly circulated online, showing Whitmer standing in front of portraits of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson while holding two blue folders in front of her face. Her seemingly uncomfortable posture became a lighthearted topic on social media over the weekend.
Though the moment was unplanned and awkward, Whitmer appeared to take it in stride, using the experience to showcase her ability to laugh in unpredictable moments of political life.
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