On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer boarded a plane headed to Washington, D.C., where she met privately with President Donald Trump at the White House.

The same week -- just across Lake Michigan -- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker directly opposed Trump, sheltering Texas Democrats who touched down in the Windy City after fleeing their state over Republican-led congressional redistricting.

In response, Trump called Pritzker “probably the dumbest of all governors” in a Tuesday television interview.

While he and other Democratic governors have earned Trump’s criticism and ire this year, the second-term Republican president’s tone towards Whitmer has been much different as of late.

This more cordial relationship has drawn criticism from some Democrats and praise from others. Some say it could have

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