Gov. Gretchen Whitmer - “True Gretch,” Toughness & Showing Up | The Daily Show

All these people who love you, who aren't even legally allowed to vote for you. You're a Michigander. I'm a Michigander. It dawned on me today, and this audience might not like this, but it dawned on me today that one of the best parts of Chicago is the lake. And one of the best parts of Chicago is Michigan. Right? Boom! I think one of the things people love about you is that you have grit. And you seem tough. And you talk about this in your book. You talk about as a kid, someone pushed you down, knocked your teeth out. Yeah. What age was that? It was about 8th grade. It was church camp. So much violence can happen at church camp. And then, throughout your life, even in the chambers, while people are voting, you would pop your teeth out to mess with them, right? Well, yeah. We have a picture of what it sometimes... I mean, this was in the book. I love this. I mean, it's like... What is that? What is that picture? Where is that picture? That was in high school at some point. I used to play in the Gus Mackert tournament. So, three-on-three basketball. I was eating a Tootsie Roll on the way, and both my teeth came out. Before the game. It was a nice... Got in their brains. That's a physical toughness. But now, in politics, it feels a more emotional toughness. Is that right? Yeah, I think so. One of the nicknames I've earned over the last few years is Big Gretch. My all-time new favorite nickname. It used to be Gravity Gretchen, because I fall down a lot, hence the teeth. But during COVID... I talk about it in the book. But during COVID, when Donald Trump turned his ire to me, because I observed there was not a national strategy, when he told us he's not a shipping clerk, we need to go find masks ourselves. He got mad, and so turned his attention to me, and I started getting threats and all of that noise. And at some point, someone on my staff said, you know that people are starting to call you Big Gretch, right? And I was like, what is this? And we were listening to G-Mac Cash's Big Gretch song downstairs. So a whole rap song was written about you, which is pretty cool. It became a thing, you know? The people of Detroit bestowed this nickname on me, because I was taking so much heat from the White House, and doing what I could to save people. Someone likened it to being bestowed the heat of the city, when the people of Detroit give you a nickname like Big Gretch. On page two, the second page of your book, you talk about your grandmother, Nino, and how she said, always look for the positive in people. And I love this quote. It is, even the meanest person might have pretty eyes. Is that a way to govern? You know, a lot of people, maybe sadly, were introduced to you through the kidnapping story. Yeah. How do you see the positive in those people or in that situation? Can you? Well, they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So there's the positive. You know, I've learned so much. In the last six years, when you get tested, you see what you're capable of and what you're made of. And you also know who you can count on and who you can trust. So there's a lesson in every tough story. Right. Yep, and there's... Yet, you're the governor of the whole state. Your supporters love you, but there's people on the other side that maybe didn't vote for you that are still mad about some COVID restrictions, that are having a hard time paying their mortgage. How do you bridge the gap with them? How do you speak to them? What do you say? I think it's showing up. You know, I know that I don't have every person's lived experience. I'm learning when I'm asking, what can I do that will make your life better? How do I govern in a way that gives you a path to prosperity or takes a barrier out of your way? I love to get around Michigan and ask that question. You know, if I'm lucky enough to get elected, what could I do for you? And people are not shy to tell you when you ask. They will tell you things you never imagined. But over and over again, when you hear something that is recurring, you know this is a real problem that people, regardless of their politics, need me to solve. Fix the damn roads was the initial response, and that's why I'm so focused on infrastructure. A brilliant platform, because as a Michigander, I've said that to whoever's listening, and apparently you were listening. You put it on a bus, and your bus was listening. I have to ask you this, because I don't often get the opportunity to sit down with the governor of Michigan, but as a Michigander myself, I love our Great Lakes. I love that 20% of the world's freshwater is sitting amongst us. I've lived in Los Angeles. I've toured through Arizona. They want our water, okay? And in all reality, what are you as governor doing to protect our Great Lakes? Is this important to you? Absolutely. So the Great Lakes, 21% of the world's fresh surface water. This is a big... I said 20, and she was like, it's 21, mother****er. That's good. So, you know, I'm working hard to make sure that we protect the Great Lakes, and we make Michigan a place where people move to for opportunities. So I would welcome you to come back to Michigan, enjoy the lakes, and then maybe you and I can reenact the Klepper Pritzker bar crawl. Ooh, that would be fun. I haven't gone drinking with Klepper, but I bet there might have been a bucket there where he was kind of like, you know. There's a lot of energy for Kamala right now. There's a lot of momentum. I'm fearful, though. I'm fearful that Democrats aren't thinking a few steps ahead. Trump is throwing his tantrums. He's mad that she's doing well, but, you know, he's a competitor. He's gonna pivot. He's gonna come back with something. Are the Dems strategizing many steps ahead? I believe so, but what are you anticipating? In what? What's he gonna do in a couple of weeks? I mean, I think he's sitting at home watching the energy, the enthusiasm, the optimism that's gonna come out of this week, and I think it's gonna hurt his brain. Yeah, well, it is. It is hurting his brain. Okay, let's hope that happens. Let's prepare for him to get his head on straight and stop throwing a tantrum like a 4-year-old. He's acting like a 4-year-old. Eventually, they calm down, and they figure out the weak spot. So I'm just hoping the Dems are. Are you in touch? You're a co-chair on Kamala's campaign. I am. Are you strategizing? Are you talking long-term? Well, I mean, Michigan is Michigan, right? There's Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan. These are the swingiest of states, and we are gonna decide the outcome of this election. We got to show up. We got to do the work. We got to be in all 83 counties. We cannot write off a place because it looks Republican in past elections. We're gonna show up, and we're gonna pull people in, because this is... Show up. Showing up. You talk and hear a lot about your gratitude journal, which I love. Be specific with what you're thankful for, what you do. But sometimes... Do you ever just write down super-annoying shit? You know? You've had some bad stuff that's happened. Do you ever just write down, well, this sucked. Today's people tried to ******* kidnap me. Um... It's tempting. It's tempting. But no, but there are some days where it says, my dogs, my bed, and tequila. Right. Yeah. You have that in you. Let's talk about humor. You know, this is a comedy show. I grew up in a big family. No one ever said, I love you in my family, but you teased. You poked fun. And when I read and listened to your book, I loved the audio version as well. There's a lot of humor, and it just comes naturally for you. Is this something that is embedded in you from an early age as a kid? Is it something you've worked on? I think both my folks were really funny. And humor is a great way to, I think, relieve stress, diffuse a tough, tense situation, if you can find a laugh. And my mother was kind of the queen of gallows humor. Even in the darkest days, she died of brain cancer. And even in the darkest days, she could find the light. She could make us laugh. And I think it's just such a powerful way to find common ground. That's why I love being on your show with you. I love that. Last thing, you know, I told you that a couple weeks ago, my daughter, who's 4, got pushed by another girl at camp and had a black eye. And I was really sad, and I was upset about it. And then I read your book, and I said, holy shit, my daughter is going to be the governor of Michigan. True Grit is available now.