Michigan Gov. Whitmer's European trade trip with Olympics visit cost over $200K

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Mar 17, 2026

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LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's February trade mission to Germany and Italy cost about $208,000, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News through an open records request.

It wasn't clear Tuesday how much of the money came from the state's Michigan Economic Development Corp. and how much came from the Michigan Economic Development Foundation, which is a private nonprofit organization that raises money from businesses to support the governor's travels.

The governor's office previously said both entities had roles in sponsoring the trip, which ended up including a visit to the Winter Olympics in Milan.

Whitmer, a Democrat who's in her eighth and final year as the state's leader, departed Michigan on Feb. 11, spent four days in Munich, spent another four days in Italy and then returned to Michigan on Feb. 20, according to an agenda that was marked "confidential."

Along with the governor, 11 other individuals went on the venture ― including her chief of staff, JoAnne Huls; deputy chief of staff, Zack Pohl; and the director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Paul Rogers, according to the MEDC documents.

Among the 11 were five Michigan State Police employees who attended to provide "executive protection," according to the documents.

The agenda said the purpose of the travel was to "foster strategic relationships across the defense, automotive, aerospace and advanced manufacturing to position Michigan as a premier partner for future investments and collaboration, driving economic growth, defense partnerships and technological advancement."

Whitmer's office first publicly announced the mission on Feb. 13, two days after it began, according to the documents.

"Let’s keep telling Michigan’s story and leading on issues that matter nationally and globally," Whitmer said in announcing the trip.

Asked about the total cost of the trip, House Oversight Chairman Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, questioned what the fruit of the mission was.

"What real, hard, definitive leads did we bring back?" DeBoyer asked. "I've got to tell you, she's been all over the world."

A spokeswoman for Whitmer didn't respond to a question Tuesday about why the trip was necessary.

Her stop in Munich included a visit to the global headquarters of the manufacturer RENK Group, which announced plans to expand in Michigan, and an appearance on a panel with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Matthew Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, at the Munich Security Conference.

During the Italy portion of the trip, Whitmer's office said she planned to meet with Italian business leaders. She also spoke with members of the U.S. Winter Olympic team and attended the Winter Olympics' gold medal game for women's hockey in Milan.

The Olympic appearances weren't mentioned on the agenda for the trip. But on Feb. 19, the date of the gold medal game, the schedule listed "downtime" after 4:15 p.m. The game was at 7 p.m. local time in Milan.

On Feb. 18, Whitmer toured the automotive parts manufacturer Brembo in Bergamo, Italy, and had a delegation dinner at Napiz Milano, a restaurant in Milan.

The state's breakdown of the trip's costs didn't include Whitmer's ticket to the hockey game, and the governor's team has not clarified how she got a ticket or who paid for it.

The financial breakdown featured $56,164 in spending on hotels, $42,041 in spending on airfare, $7,842 in spending on meals and $9,489 on airport fees or catering.

The biggest category of spending was transportation at about $93,365. That appeared to refer to travel within Europe, but the MEDC didn't release specific receipts or details on individual expenditures. The News had requested any list of expenditures related to the February trade mission.

A spokeswoman for the MEDC said Tuesday the agency couldn't immediately provide information on how many of the costs were paid for by the Michigan Economic Development Foundation.

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