Blanchard did not waste time asking her about these conversations and Whitmer was quick to shut down any rumor of her becoming Harris’s Vice President. 

“I’ve made a commitment to serve out my term as governor here, that is 100% where my head is at,” Whitmer said. “It’s flattering to be mentioned, it’s flattering to have been on a list or considered. My commitment is to Michigan through the end of this term, and that’s exactly where I am going to be.” 

Later in the program, when Blanchard asked her why she made the decision to release "True Gretch" during an election year, Whitmer responded, “it’s not because I’m trying to run for something.”

Blanchard referred to Whitmer as “our governor, our leader and our leader for the future” when closing out the talk, and expressed he has heard from many Democrats that would like her to run for President. 

“This comes from a top Democratic strategist in California, it comes from the former Chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, it comes from numerous members of my class that got elected to Congress 50 years ago," Blanchard said. "They say we really wish that you would run for president."

Whitmer responded by turning to the crowd and saying, "none of this was approved, by the way."

Whitmer said she plans on doing everything in her power to ensure she has an "ally in the White House with President Kamala Harris.” She added that she believes Biden’s decision to remove himself from the race was the “right move” for the Democratic party. 

“I have a great deal of respect for President Biden," she said. "I think it was the right call for a lot of reasons and I am thrilled about Kamala Harris being on the ticket."

Blanchard and Whitmer, both MSU alumni, also spoke about how Whitmer’s experience at the university inspired her to go into public office. 

During her undergraduate tenure at MSU, Whitmer was a communications major and had plans of being a sports broadcaster. She said her father advised her to take an internship at the Capitol in Lansing, where she “fell in love with public policy.” Whitmer then went to MSU Law School and graduated Magna Cum Laude. 

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz introduced Whitmer and Blanchard, noting that both the former and current governors are MSU alumni. He said the goal of this conversation was to uphold former MSU President John A. Hannah’s ideals of promoting students to be “informed, critical thinkers” when it comes to public policy and government. 

“President Hannah’s vision is necessary to uphold a modern democracy, something that many would say is under threat today,” Guskiewicz said. 

Whitmer said young voters have a “huge stake in this election” and urged them to “be the change” by casting their ballot on election day or by getting involved in public policy. 

“It breaks my heart to think that young people are not as engaged as we want them to be, as we need them to be,” Whitmer said. “Young people have the largest stake in the outcome of any election, but especially when there are such critical issues in front of us: the health of our democracy, the ability for us to make our own decisions about our bodies, the climate crisis, what’s happening with gun violence."