Gretchen Whitmer mocked as she appears to be ‘hiding’ behind binders at Trump meeting in viral photo

WASHINGTON, DC: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer found herself at the center of an unexpected social media storm recently after an unflattering photo of her at the White House went viral, sparking ridicule and questions about her appearance alongside President Donald Trump.

New York Times photographer Eric Lee snapped a striking image that showed the Democratic governor hiding her face with blue folders and flanked by two staffers

as President Trump signed a stack of executive orders on April 9, Wednesday.

Among them was a controversial order aimed at a law firm that's now pushing back with a lawsuit.

Gretchen Whitmer appears to hide her face during Oval Office photo-op

Democratic Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer visited the White House on Wednesday with a bipartisan delegation to discuss some issues affecting her state.

She was reportedly escorted by a pair of Trump aides to the Oval Office, not for her one-on-one meeting with Trump, but for an unscheduled appearance before the press corps.

According to reports from CNN and The New York Times, Whitmer had not anticipated being part of the photo op and was reportedly uneasy about the optics of standing behind Trump as he signed orders, one of which targeted a law firm involved in litigation against the federal government.

According to The New York Times, she stood “stood glumly in the Oval Office, hoping no one would take her picture.” But the governor was captured in a photo by Eric Lee, standing under the portraits of Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson in the Oval Office with two blue binders shielding her face.

Behind the scenes, some Democratic strategists were left scratching their heads, wondering how she ended up in that room in the first place. Several Democrats have proclaimed that the governor had been played by Trump and his administration.

Later, Whitmer's office later issued a statement insisting that “her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event", per The Hill.

Gretchen Whitmer trolled for 'hiding' behind binders in viral photo

Critics online wasted no time roasting the viral photo of Gretchen Whitmer "hiding" behind two binders.

One user wrote, “Whitmer's hiding from the cameras the same way she's hiding from voters in the 35th Senate District. Childish,” while another added, “Gretchen Whitmer hides her face rather than be seen in the president's office.”

Another joked, “The Gov Gretchen Whitmer White House photo is real. She thinks hiding her face will stop people from knowing it's her. This is the SAME woman who blamed Trump for her attempted kidnapping. She just stood there as he signed executive orders. Democrats, NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE YOU."

A user said, "One of my favorite things about things like this, is that she would've been better off just having her photo taken. "(Normal) Gretchen Whitmer in the White House" would've been a lot less embarrassing than "(Hiding) Gretchen Whitmer.”

“Whitmer’s tweet last night reeked of nationalism & courting trump. We didn’t elect Whitmer to cower to a tyrant. Whitmer is showing her weakness, she’ll never be president. Selling out MI Dems to appease a madman is not cool. Please ask her why she’s kissing trumps a**, cowering,” one user slammed.

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