Whitmer still steadfast in shoring up support for Biden, says cognitive testing wouldn’t ‘hurt’

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer talks to host Stephen Colbert on the "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," July 10, 2024 | Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spent a second day on national television Wednesday for her book tour. But once again, she ended up trying to stem a growing chorus of doubt about President Joe Biden’s viability as a candidate and said she didn’t “think it would hurt” if Biden and former President Donald Trump both took a cognitive test. 

Whitmer was asked by CNN’s Abby Philips about the dialogue among Democrats, especially on Capitol Hill, that seems to keep breathing life into the controversy surrounding Biden’s poor performance in the June 27 debate. Whitmer, who serves as a national co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign, said the discussion was certainly counterproductive to what Democrats should be focused on. 

“It says to me that we are spending a lot of energy not on Donald Trump and the existential threat before us, and that gives me a great deal of concern,” said Whitmer. “I want to make sure people know what Democrats stand for, what Biden has delivered, and like I said, the only one who makes this decision is President Biden. He has communicated he is in this race. He is going to see it through, and he’s ready for a second term, and until and unless that changes, I’m all go ahead.”

One Democrat who is not “all go ahead” is U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids), who Thursday morning posted to social media a statement saying “for the good of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up.”

Scholten added that she would respect Biden’s decision to remain in the race, and would still vote for him, “as a clear and necessary alternative to Donald Trump,” but felt it was “essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket- not just to win, but to govern.”

The calls for Biden to step aside have continued despite the President sending a letter Monday to congressional Democrats calling for unity and reiterating he is the best person to defeat former President Trump in November. Whitmer said she has heard nothing from the campaign or Biden himself to indicate he will change his mind, and chided those treating this issue like a game.

“I understand that some are playing fantasy football and want to just pick a couple of random leaders that they like across the country and design a ticket. That’s just not how this works,” said Whitmer. “We have a President who’s gotten the nomination, who’s earned it, who is barreling toward [the] convention. And unless he decides something differently, this is the field, and this is the high stakes we’re in.”

Phillips asked if it would help end the doubts within the party if Biden should take a cognitive test and demand that Trump do the same.

“I don’t think that it would hurt, to be honest,” replied Whitmer, although that is something White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said was “not warranted” during a press briefing on Monday.

Questions have also been raised about Trump’s cognitive abilities, including confusing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in January, or challenging Biden last month to take a cognitive test but then forgetting the name of the doctor who administered his test in 2020.

They were further questioned most recently at Trump’s rally Tuesday in Doral, Florida, where he began talking about the tragedy of overdose deaths and then seemed to lose his train of thought.

“We will never allow mothers to watch their child hopelessly dying in their arms screaming, ‘What can I do, what can I do? Help me God, what can I do?’” said Trump, before pivoting without reference to the state of the nation’s airports. “We are a nation whose once revered airports are a dirty, crowded mess. You sit and wait for hours and then are notified that the plane won’t leave, that they have no idea when they will. Where ticket prices have tripled. They don’t have the pilots to fly the planes, they don’t seek qualified air traffic controllers, and they just don’t know what the hell they are doing.”

Regardless, Whitmer said the singular focus on this issue missed the essential choice Americans are being asked to make in November, especially when it comes to reproductive rights, spurning the suggestion that Trump has “softened” the GOP’s policies on abortion.

“Hell, no. I don’t buy that. This is a guy who’s had 18 different positions on abortion,” said Whitmer. “We would not even be having this conversation, Abby, but for the three people he put on the Supreme Court who lied to Congress [and] betrayed their oath of office. Donald Trump has bragged about that.”

Whitmer said the logical extension of Trump’s policies would be for the Supreme Court to rule against the use of the abortion drug mifepristone, IVF, surrogacy and then stem cell research, all the more reason she says to make sure Biden gets another term. 

“That’s why this has got to be a big part of this conversation going into this election. If you want to have the right to make your own decision about your body and your health care, we’ve got to reelect Joe Biden,” said Whitmer.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Slotkin (D-Holly), who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, was reported by The New York Times to have told donors during a fundraiser Tuesday that Biden was behind Trump in polling, while her Senate race was “in a dead heat.” She also reportedly took a swipe at Biden by noting that she decided to seek the seat being left open by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) deciding to retire, saying the 74-year-old was “doing a radical thing and passing the torch.”

Slotin is facing off against actor Hill Harper of Detroit in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, while four candidates are squaring off on the GOP side: former U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) and Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.), businessman Sandy Pensler and Dr. Sherry O’Donnell, a physician and former 2022 congressional candidate.

But Whitmer is by no means alone among Michigan Democrats firmly backing Biden, including Stabenow .

“This is a president who’s taken action, and I don’t think we’ve had a better president in a lifetime for Michigan,” Stabenow said of Biden last week while campaigning with first lady Jill Biden in West Michigan. 

“[I] support him and I feel good about him in our Senate races,” said U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) on Wednesday, while U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) posted to social media on Monday that she woke up “more motivated than ever to re-elect the Biden Harris ticket. I trust our President and know he is the one to finish the job.”

Whitmer also joined “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday and talked about many of the same issues, albeit in a slightly lighter vein.

When Colbert asked Whitmer what her reaction was to Biden’s debate performance, she jokingly tried to avoid answering.

“Were you just like, ‘You know what, stay the course, doesn’t matter, full speed ahead Joe’ or did it give you pause at all?” asked Colbert.

“I like your tie,” Whitner said to laughter from the audience.

“I see how it’s going to be,” deadpanned Colbert. 

As she told the Michigan Advance in a Tuesday phone interview, Whitmer admitted to Colbert that she hadn’t actually seen the debate live, but has seen clips of it since, and understood why people were concerned.

“I think that the debate rattled a lot of people, right? It was a lousy performance. I don’t think anyone’s disputing that,” said Whitmer. I spent some time with the President in the White House with a number of my colleagues shortly after the debate. I talked to him this past weekend with all the other campaign co-chairs, and, you know, he’s up for this. I know that there is a lot of nervousness. This is a high-stakes election.”

Then recycling an exchange from her appearance Tuesday on “The View,” Whitmer again used some levity to try and back up why Biden should remain atop the ticket.

“I come from Michigan. This is the swingiest of swing states… I meant that as swing voters,” she said, again garnering laughter from the audience.

“Sure. It’s late night. … It’s fine. Swing away,” said Colbert.

“As I talk to people across Michigan, their biggest concerns are trying to keep money in their pocket, make sure their kids are set up for success, making sure that they don’t get shot when they go to school, ensure that they can drive on the roads, fixing the damn roads, and Joe Biden has receipts on every one of these fronts,” said Whitmer. “They know that, and I think that that’s really important not to lose sight of. He had a crappy debate. No question about it. And yet this is a decision between four years of Joe Biden continuing the work that he’s gotten started this first term or Donald Trump.”

Whitmer added that any doubts about Biden’s capacity to lead should be dispelled by his leadership this week in hosting NATO for its annual summit and his continued plans to campaign, including in Michigan on Friday.

“He is getting all across the country, and I think you’re going to see how energized this President is,” she said. “He has dedicated his life to serving the public. Donald Trump serves one person, and that’s Donald Trump, and we can’t forget it. He has 34 convictions.”

Colbert noted that a memoir like hers (“True Gretch” was released on Tuesday) is a “trial balloon for a presidential run” and asked what she planned to do once her term as governor was up in 2026. 

“Beats the heck out of me,” said Whitmer. 

“Still politics, like, is there anything more powerful than governor?” Colbert coyly asked and was greeted by laughter, not just from the audience, but from Whitmer.

“I don’t know. I love being governor,” she said.

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