Gretchen Whitmer apologizes for video of her feeding Doritos to kneeling podcaster following backlash
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, apologized amid scrutiny for a social media video in which she wore a Harris-Walz campaign hat and fed Doritos to a kneeling podcast host to promote the CHIPS Act.
Whitmer was seen in the clip taking a Doritos chip out of a bag and placing it into the mouth of liberal podcaster Liz Plank, who was kneeling down on the floor, before the video panned to the governor wearing a camouflage Harris-Walz hat.
The use of Doritos chips appeared to be a clever way to put a spotlight on the CHIPS and Science Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 that allocated nearly $53 billion towards efforts to bring semiconductor supply chains back to the U.S., create jobs, support American innovation and protect U.S. national security.
MICHIGAN GOV FEEDS KNEELING FEMALE PODCAST HOST DORITOS WHILE WEARING A HARRIS-WALZ HAT
"Chips aren’t just delicious, the CHIPS Act is a game-changer for U.S. tech and manufacturing, boosting domestic production of semiconductors to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers! Donald Trump would put that at risk," Plank wrote in the caption of the video she posted on Instagram.
The video was made as part of a viral TikTok trend where one person feeds another person, who is acting sexually, with the song "Dilemma" by Nelly and Kelly Rowland playing in the background before the first person stares uncomfortably into the camera.
MICHIGAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONDEMN WHITMER'S DORITOS VIDEO STUNT AS OFFENSIVE
Some critics mistakenly perceived the video as Whitmer pretending to participate in Holy Communion as a way to mock Christians who participate in the Eucharist. Following the backlash over these accusations, Whitmer apologized for the video and emphasized that the video was not meant to mock people of faith.
"Over 25 years in public service, I would never do something to denigrate someone's faith," the governor said in a statement to Fox 2. "I’ve used my platform to stand up for people’s right to hold and practice their personal religious beliefs."
"My team has spoken to the Michigan Catholic Conference," she continued. "What was supposed to be a video about the importance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs, has been construed as something it was never intended to be, and I apologize for that."