This post was originally published on this site.
Lansing — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ongoing trade mission to Europe includes a stop in Italy, her office revealed Monday.
The Italy venture was a newly disclosed destination for a trip to Germany that the governor’s office announced on Friday. Whitmer spoke on a foreign policy panel Friday evening at the Munich Security Conference.
In Italy, Whitmer and a delegation from Michigan will attempt to attract global investment and will meet with Italian business, government and industry leaders, the governor’s office said.
“Italy is a key partner for Michigan as we work to strengthen advanced manufacturing, defense capabilities and innovation-driven growth,” Whitmer said. “By continuing our investment mission in Italy, we’re opening doors for new partnerships, expanding opportunities for Michiganders and positioning our state to compete and lead in a rapidly evolving global economy.”
The press release from the governor’s office didn’t detail how long Whitmer would be in Italy. A spokeswoman for Whitmer didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether Whitmer would attend any Winter Olympic events currently taking place in Italy.
Whitmer, a Democrat, is in her eighth and final year as Michigan’s governor. She can’t run for reelection in 2026 because of the state’s term limits.
She faced criticism on social media over the weekend for an answer she gave at the Munich conference regarding the war in Ukraine.
Asked what victory would look like for Ukraine, Whitmer said U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Matthew Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, who were also on the panel with her, were “much more steeped in foreign policy than a governor is.”
“Ukraine’s independence, keeping their land mass and having the support of all of the allies, I think, is the goal from my advantage point,” Whitmer then said.
Tim Murtaugh, a former campaign staffer for Republican President Donald Trump, replied to Whitmer’s comments by contending she was at the security conference in Munich because “she’s running for president in 2028.”
“Did she not imagine that Ukraine might be a topic?” Murtaugh asked on X.
The trip to Italy and Germany marked her second foreign trade mission of the first two months of the year. In January, Whitmer traveled to Switzerland, where she participated in the World Economic Forum.
Michigan state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, who’s running for governor, criticized Whitmer’s travel schedule in a post on social media Monday morning.
“Two months into the year and she’s been to three different countries while her state has some of the highest unemployment in the nation,” Nesbitt wrote. “Has she just completely checked out?”
For December, Michigan had the sixth highest unemployment rate among the 50 states at 5%.
The new trade mission is being funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the nonprofit Michigan Economic Development Foundation, an organization that raises money from some of the state’s largest companies to support Whitmer’s travel and other business attraction activities.
While in Europe, Whitmer’s office released a strategic plan Friday aimed at growing Michigan’s defense and aerospace sectors.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.