Gov. Gretchen Whitmer believes it’s time “to move forward, together,” and is urging Michiganders to “hold each other accountable” to show the next generation “a better path for this country.”

The comments stand in stark contrast to her own actions in the past that some have criticized as encouraging violence against former president Donald Trump.

In a post the day following a failed attempt to assassinate Trump at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Whitmer posted her perspective on X, along with a video of herself promoting her new book True Gretch.

We must decide to move forward, together. We can do so much better. When you see actions intended to divide us, call them out. Hold each other accountable. Show our kids that there is a better path for this country. pic.twitter.com/iZBrlRvsoa

— Gretchen Whitmer (@truegretch) July 15, 2024

“The events yesterday I think were a stark reminder for us all that the political rhetoric in our country has gotten so hot and it’s dangerous for us and our democracy,” she said in the video from Seattle.

Whitmer also released a prepared statement that described Saturday’s shooting as “a disgusting act of violence that caps off an alarming, years-long trend in our politics.

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

“There have been incidents we all know: a shooting at a practice for the Congressional baseball game, the plot to kidnap and kill me, the storming of the Capitol and an in-home assault on former Speaker of the House’s husband,” she continued.

“Behind all these incidents in rhetoric. We have seen calls to hate, harm, or jail political opponents. Violent conspiracies from the seediest corners of the internet have become incorporated into stump speeches,” Whitmer said. “We have lost the plot when it comes to the way we talk to each other and about each other.”

Whitmer’s comments mark a drastic departure from her own past practices, which in 2020 included a video interview with Meet The Press that featured an “86 45” pin on display in the background, the Detroit Free Press reported at the time.

“Whitmer is encouraging assassination attempts against President Trump,” Trump’s campaign alleged, noting “86 can be shorthand for killing someone.”

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

The “45” is a reference to the 45^th POTUS, former President Trump.

Then=Michigan Republican Party chair Laura Cox posted to X at the time the “phrase which calls for the killing of President Trump” is “truly disgusting.”

Governor @gretchenwhitmer has the gall to go on @MeetThePress this morning complaining about President @realDonaldTrump's rhetoric, but in the background displays a phrase which calls for the killing of President Trump! This is truly disgusting. #LeadRight #TVMI20 https://t.co/GFpA0Yzn4a

— Laura Cox (@LauraCoxMI) October 18, 2020

A Whitmer spokesman dismissed those concerns, alleging the “86 45” refers to restaurant industry slang that translates into removing a menu item that’s no longer available. Another interpretation is that “86” refers to murder.

Regardless, the governor is now offering advice on a return to civility in politics, despite promoting lies in recent weeks about alleged Trump support for a national abortion ban.

“We all choose whether to jump into an argument an make it personal, bitter, or extreme,” Whitmer said the prepared statement on Sunday. “We choose how we treat those we disagree with whether it’s on Facebook or in-person.  We choose the news we consume – content that riles us up, fed to us by an algorithm designed to keep us scrolling. We choose these things.”

In recent weeks, Whitmer has repeatedly chosen to promote the lie that Trump is plotting a national abortion ban if he wins a second term in November, a statement that’s so off-base even CNN confronted the governor to her face about the misleading rhetoric.

“He is absolutely front and center as on the road to an all-out national abortion ban,” Whitmer told CNN’s John Bergman. “And that’s why we’ve got to get Joe Biden elected this fall.”

The CNN host set the record straight.

“He says he’s not on the road to an all-out abortion ban, federal, because he said he wants to leave it up to the states, right? He said he would not support a federal ban,” Bergman countered. “I’m not arguing with him being responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but just on that specific question, he wants it left up to the states, he says.”

Trump made that clear in April when he said his stance on abortion is “all about the will of the people.”

Trump, who was shot in the ear on Saturday, raised a fist and vowed to “fight, fight, fight” as he was escorted off the stage by the Secret Service. He’s expected in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention this week.

Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old father of two daughters from Pennsylvania, was killed as he shielded his girls from gunfire at the rally. Two others, 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, were also shot but are in stable condition, according to NPR.

“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” Trump posed to Truth Social on Sunday. “We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families.”

Trump wrote “it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”