Whitmer criticizes report that Biden cannot win Michigan

MICHIGAN – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has sharply criticized a Politico report that said she told Biden’s campaign team after his lackluster debate performance that he could not win the state in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

“Anyone who says I’m saying we can’t win Michigan is talking bullshit,” Whitmer said in a social media post on Monday.

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According to the Politico report, she warned Democrats that Biden had lost Michigan after he stumbled during the debate with Republican frontrunner and former President Donald Trump last Thursday.

The report cited “someone close to a potential Whitmer rival for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.” However, a Whitmer aide told the Associated Press that the statement was untrue.

The report comes at a time when many, including the New York Times editorial board, are calling for Biden to drop out of the upcoming U.S. presidential race following his lackluster performance in the debate.

Whitmer, Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom were suggested as possible successors to Biden at the Democratic Party convention in August.

However, Whitmer, an up-and-coming Democrat, expressed her support for Biden and said she was 100 percent behind him in the fight to defeat Donald Trump.

“Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know it because he has the revenue to do it: he has reduced health care costs, brought back manufacturing jobs and is committed to giving women back the reproductive freedom they lost under Donald Trump,” Whitmer said.

Michigan, which is usually a real swing state in US presidential elections, is expected to be back in play in 2024. Many analysts believe that whoever wins Michigan is likely to win the election. Trump won Michigan in 2016 and then Biden won in 2024.

Biden, 81, has not indicated that he is considering dropping out of the race.