President Trump pledges to keep Selfridge Air National Guard Base open and thriving

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will work with Michigan leaders to keep Macomb County’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base “open, strong,” and “thriving.”

“I think we’re going to be successful,” Trump said during an executive order signing in the Oval Office. “We’ve got some good feedback from Pete Hegseth at the Department of Defense. They’re talking about F-16s, they’re talking about F-35s and, you know, et cetera.

“It’s a great piece of property, it’s a great location, and it’s a great state.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican state House Speaker Matt Hall met with Trump’s cabinet Wednesday in the Oval Office where they discussed a handful of issues relevant to Michigan, including the future of Selfridge and keeping the invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan.

Hall during the meeting thanked Trump for his commitment to Selfridge and the Michigan economy.

“We’ve been working a long time. We couldn’t get Joe Biden to do anything about either one of these issues, particularly Selfridge Air Force Base,” he said. “It’ll be critical to Michigan’s economy and our security when you’re able to deliver us another mission there.”

Whitmer also brought up the importance of strengthening the military and commercial aviation industry.

“At the state level, we’re doing our part,” she said. “We’re making bipartisan investments in Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a key defense hub and economic anchor that supports thousands of jobs and hundreds of military families in Macomb County.”

Trump also praised Whitmer as a “very good person” who has done an “excellent job” and noted the bipartisan nature of the Selfridge project.

“We’re going to get it done, and we’re all going stand there together and cut a ribbon,” he said.

RELATED: Trump praises Whitmer as ‘very good person’ during Oval Office visit

Trump then joked Whitmer and Hall must, “get along pretty well,” which prompted some laughter in the room.

“About 70% of the time,” Whitmer replied.

Prior to meeting Trump on Wednesday, Whitmer warned American consumers and manufacturing are the “big loser” when it comes to U.S. tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada.

“Now treating our allies, our North American neighbors, like adversaries is going to cost all of us,” Whitmer said. “It’s not just going to cost that relationship but every American consumer. It’s probably going to cost a lot of auto jobs and make the cost of buying auto, much less blueberries from Mexico, go up.”

RELATED: U.S. consumers, manufacturing are ‘the big loser’ in tariffs on Canada, Mexico, Gov. Whitmer says

She gave those remarks during a talk with former FOX News anchor Gretchen Carlson in D.C. The speech came before Trump paused tariffs for most nations for 90 days but increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 125%.

Whitmer also brought up the importance of Selfridge during her State of the State address in February, calling the base a “bipartisan defense project” that “needs our attention.”

“The base supports thousands of local jobs and hundreds of military families,” she said. “It’s home to some of the nation’s most elite pilots. They complete all kinds of missions, including protecting our border from drugs and crime.”

Whitmer during her speech said she met with Hegseth in D.C. about supporting a fighter mission at Selfridge.

“Let’s support our brave men and women in uniform at Selfridge in our next budget and work with our federal partners to save Michigan jobs and protect our national security,” she said.

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