Records: Gov. Whitmer’s Delegation Spent More Than $200,000 on 8-Day Michigan Asia Trip, About $26,000 a Day
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her delegation spent more than $200,000 on an eight-day Asia trip to South Korea and Taiwan in September, about $26,000 a day, according to records The Center Square obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). Whitmer’s office says the trip was about bringing jobs and investment to Michigan.
The trip cost about $91,000 for airfare, nearly $70,000 for hotels, $13,000 for conference rooms and events, $11,000 for ground transportation and $6,000 for meals, The Center Square reported, as published by Just the News. Other costs included photographer fees, interpretation services and $3,200 for a “cultural activity,” according to the records.
The MEDC and the Michigan Economic Development Foundation, which the report describes as an independent nonprofit, “supported” the trip, according to the governor’s office.
WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW ABOUT THE ASIA TRIP
The delegation of more than a dozen people included eight MEDC officials, two members of the governor’s staff, Oakland County Executive David Coulter, Michigan National Guard Adjutant General Paul Rogers and two business executives, according to The Center Square.
The trip began in South Korea, where the first day included a “cultural walking tour” of “traditional Korean homes” and a local shopping district, according to the official itinerary The Center Square obtained. The rest of the South Korea stop included meetings with Korean companies that have invested in Michigan and with government officials. After three nights there, the delegation flew to Taiwan, where it met with President Lai Ching-te, government officials and representatives of semiconductor, drone and robotics companies, the outlet reported.
It was Whitmer’s third visit to Taiwan in three years, according to the report.
WHITMER: ‘THE BEST WAY TO WIN IS TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS’
“Michigan is competing on the global stage, and the best way to win is to build relationships and make sure companies know what we bring to the table,” Whitmer said, according to The Center Square. “In South Korea and Taiwan, we deepened our relationships with companies already creating good-paying jobs in Michigan, and showed others considering where to make their next investment why our state is the best place to build the future.”
MEDC CEO Quentin L. Messer Jr., who went on the trip, said: “Investment missions allow Team Michigan to build the trust that turn conversations into opportunities for Michigan’s people, communities, and businesses.”
Lai said Taiwanese companies are increasingly investing in Michigan and that he expected the visit to bring “more Taiwan-US industrial cooperation,” according to the report.
EARLIER TRIPS
Republicans have criticized Whitmer’s international travel, The Center Square reported. Earlier this year, the governor took a weeklong trip to Europe that cost about $180,000, after a $61,000 trip to Switzerland in January, according to the outlet.
Sources: The Center Square, as published by Just the News (Oct. 16, 2026), based on records obtained from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. through a FOIA request.
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