MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — Enterprise leaders and decision-makers gathered for the annual Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Coverage Convention are discussing what President Donald Trump’s tariffs would possibly imply for Michigan.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who provided the keynote speech on the convention Thursday, mentioned there are lots of optimistic issues to speak about within the state, but in addition some trepidation.
“I think one of the palpable feelings is concern (about the) uncertainty coming out of Washington, D.C.,” Whitmer mentioned.
What occurs to Trump’s tariffs now {that a} courtroom has knocked them down?
The financial impression of commerce insurance policies being developed by Trump’s administration, she mentioned, might hit Michigan industries arduous.
“The tariff talk takes a toll, and Michigan is uniquely vulnerable. We are a big manufacturing state, we have a ton of agriculture and we’re heavily in the autos. All three of those things make Michigan more susceptible to the hardship that comes with the uncertainty and paralysis that follows. And we’re already seeing it in Michigan,” she mentioned.
Nonetheless, she mentioned, there are issues Michigan can do to maneuver ahead.
“I can’t control what’s happening in Washington, D.C., in regards to tariffs. I can try to inform it and I take every opportunity to do that. But what I can do is make sure we shore up the fundamentals like roads; making sure we are educating our kids, a focus on literacy; and landing a chip plant, which would be diversifying. All these things are things that we can do in Michigan. They’re hard, but we can do hard things.”
The coverage convention wraps up Friday.
