Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said President Donald Trump helped deliver a major project for her state that she was unable to secure during the Biden administration, highlighting an unusual point of agreement between the two political rivals.

Speaking Thursday during a conversation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on his podcast, Whitmer discussed how she has approached working with Trump after Michigan backed him in the 2024 presidential election. She said she had to reconsider how she would work with the administration following the election.

Newsom pointed out that Whitmer had visited the White House, with both governors acknowledging that maintaining a functional relationship with the president is “part of the job.”

Whitmer said her cooperation with the Trump administration had already produced tangible results for Michigan, specifically citing the fighter aircraft mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

“I’ve gotten some really good stuff done. Honestly,” she told Newsom. “I got a fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, and I tried to get that done under the Biden administration, couldn’t get over the finish line, but I got it done with him. So, that’s a huge deal to Michigan.”

The project Whitmer referenced appears to be Mission Next, an initiative that will replace Selfridge’s aging A-10 Warthog aircraft with 21 new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets. The modernization effort also includes infrastructure and construction improvements intended to support additional jobs and training opportunities at the Michigan National Guard installation.

Trump announced the fighter jet mission in April 2025 during remarks to Michigan National Guard personnel at Selfridge, where he marked his 100th day in office.

“Fresh off the line. That means they are brand new,” Trump said at the time. “They’ve never been anywhere. This is where they’re going to be for a long time. And I saw one of them, flew over my head, and I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ That plane has serious power. So, this is the best there is anywhere in the world, the F-15EX Eagle II. This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of Northern American air power.”

Biden’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Whitmer’s remarks.

The White House also pointed to the Selfridge decision as evidence of Trump’s approach to Michigan and national defense.

“While Joe Biden’s weak policies neglected our military, President Trump saved Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a crucial pillar of North American air defense; rebuilt our military; and restored readiness and lethality to our U.S. Armed Forces,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital Friday.

“With President Trump as commander in chief, the United States Military will continue to lead the world in power, prestige, and might,” Wales continued. “President Trump proudly won the state of Michigan in 2024, and will continue to deliver on his promises for all Michiganders.”

Whitmer told Newsom that she has experience working with people who are not necessarily close allies and said she understands the importance of doing so even when she may personally disagree with them.

Her relationship with Trump has drawn attention before. In April 2025, Whitmer attracted widespread attention after appearing to shield her face with a folder during photographs at an Oval Office meeting with Trump.

Whitmer later explained that she simply did not want her photograph taken and acknowledged that the moment had become a source of attention.

“I don’t want my picture taken, that’s all it was. I kind of wished I hadn’t put my folder up in front of my face, but whatever. You know I was there … I just wrote a book about learning to laugh at yourself, so I’m pretty good at it. We all have our moments,” Whitmer said.

Trump, for his part, praised Whitmer around that time, describing her as a “very good person,” despite the political clashes the two have had over the years.

The White House later criticized Whitmer in April after a Michigan steel manufacturer announced plans to invest $43.4 million in expanding its operations in the state.

“Democrats like Gretchen Whitmer spent decades talking about fixing broken trade deals and creating manufacturing jobs here in America for American workers,” Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, told Fox News Digital earlier this year.

Desai was referring to Whitmer, who has frequently been mentioned as a potential Democratic contender for president in 2028.

“President Trump is actually delivering, and he’s delivering with the same agenda of tariffs, deregulation.”