Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

MIKE COX: Michigan Needs Trump-Style Governance

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Screen Capture/MLive)

In his first 100 days back in office, President Trump didn’t hesitate.

He went straight to work — cutting through bureaucracy, challenging the DEI-industrial complex, confronting ideological capture in higher education, and setting a bold vision rooted in merit, freedom, and American strength. These weren’t gestures. They were actions.

Actions Michigan should be taking, too.

Because while the White House is delivering results, President Trump can’t do it alone. With a razor-thin majority in Congress and allies leaving the Hill to run for office elsewhere, it’s more important than ever for the states to step up and reinforce the America First agenda from the ground up.

Michigan should be leading that charge—not lagging behind.

But after nearly 2,300 days under Governor Whitmer, here’s where we stand: higher taxes, a shrinking population, businesses relocating, and public education driven more by union priorities than student success. State government has grown—but opportunity hasn’t.

It’s time to bring the thunder home.

Just as President Trump is fighting to reform the federal tax code, Michigan must eliminate the tax on work—the state income tax that punishes people for earning a living. If we want to compete, we need to be a magnet for talent—not a tax trap.

Trump’s administration is dismantling DEI mandates and restoring common sense in education policy. Michigan should do the same. That means putting parents back in charge, expanding education freedom, and funding students—not systems. Let innovation flourish, remove the barriers holding back families and education entrepreneurs, and get back to teaching the ABCs—not DEI.

Perhaps the most important lesson states can take from D.C. right now is simple: DOGE. Trump is overhauling a bloated federal bureaucracy. Michigan must do the same. As Attorney General, I cut my own staff by 20% and delivered better results. It can be done. Under Whitmer, government has grown—so has spending—but outcomes for workers, students, and small businesses have not. Lansing should serve the people, not itself.

Just as Trump is restoring order across the country, Michigan must end the era of soft-on-crime prosecutors and bring back law and order in our cities. Safety isn’t a luxury—it’s the bedrock of freedom.

And while Washington begins cutting red tape to free up job creators, Michigan continues to make small businesses beg for permission to grow. We need to eliminate outdated regulations, reject corporate welfare, and stop government from picking winners and losers. The best economic strategy is to get out of the way and let entrepreneurs lead.

Michigan doesn’t need more rhetoric—it needs results.

Trump’s first 100 days have shown what’s possible with decisive leadership. Now it’s up to the states to match that urgency. The stakes are too high to wait.

Mike Cox is running for governor of Michigan and served as Michigan’s Attorney General from 2003 to 2011.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.