Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer insists Americans are ready for a woman as president.

We have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future.

What are the risks and opportunities she sees for Democrats in the coming elections?

This is a special edition of Up First from NPR News.

Gretchen Whitmer is not running for anything right now, but she's thinking about this

falls elections.

We know that there will be efforts to compromise the election or to dissuade people from

showing up, to scare people away, to threaten people.

We cannot let that stand.

Our conversation was at the convention center where protesters tried to disrupt Michigan's

ballot counting in 2020. Now it is the scene of the Detroit Auto Show, and we also talk through

tariffs. Why haven't they crashed the economy in the way the critics predicted? Stay with us

for a talk with Governor Whitmer.

Governor Whitmer, thanks for welcoming us here. Thank you. I'm glad you're here.

It's amazing to be at this auto show. And I want to talk about cars, the auto industry, and tariffs.

In a moment, I want to begin with something else. As we're talking, as we're recording this, there have been a number of news developments relating to the Department of Justice,

the U.S. Department of Justice. I've got a list here. U.S. officials said that immigration

agents have what they called federal immunity as they conduct their duties in places like

Minnesota. We learned of an investigation

of the Federal Reserve. We learned of an investigation in which a journalist's house was rated

and their devices were taken. And Senator Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan said she is under investigation

for something. What does that all add up to? I think an abuse of power.

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