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Whitmer apologizes for ‘interpretation’ of Dorito video

Whitmer apologizes for ‘interpretation’ of Dorito video

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apologized for how a recent social media video was “perceived” after Catholic groups said the video appeared to mock the sacrament of the Eucharist.

The issue stems from an Instagram video posted Thursday that shows the governor wearing a Harris Waltz hat feeding a Dorito to a podcaster — a recreation of a TikTok trend. Podcaster and author Liz Plank posted the video as a companion to an interview between Plank and the governor that was posted on YouTube as part of “Chip Chat.”

The Instagram video was widely shared after it was posted. Many criticized the role as “strange,” while others argued that passing the chip from Whitmer, who was standing, to Plank, who appeared to be sitting on a couch, mimicked receiving communion on the tongue.

The Michigan Catholic Conference released a statement Friday on behalf of the state’s Catholic bishops “expressing its deep disappointment and offense at the video.” The group’s president and CEO, Paul Long, said the group had had discussions with the governor’s office on the issue, but that the video “had an offensive effect” regardless of intent.

“The skit goes beyond the viral online trend that inspired it, specifically imitating the posture and gestures of Catholics when receiving the Holy Eucharist, in which we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present,” Long said. “It’s not just tasteless or ‘weird’; It is an all-too-familiar example of an elected official mocking religious figures and their practices.”

A spokeswoman for Whitmer’s political action committee Fight Like Hell dismissed criticism of the video, arguing it was a general social media trend on TikTok and served to draw attention to the CHIPS Act. The Helpful Semiconductor Manufacturing Incentives (CHIPS) Act was signed into law under President Joe Biden in 2022 to try to bring onshore production of semiconductor chips, or small electronic devices.

“The governor’s social media is known for infusing her communications with pop culture,” Helen Hare, a spokeswoman for Whitmer, said in a statement. “This popular trend has been used by countless people, including Billie Eilish, Kylie Jenner and Stephen Colbert, and the fact that people are paying attention to a video promoting President Biden’s CHIPS Act proves it’s working.”

But the Michigan Catholic Conference said it also received a note from the governor apologizing for his interpretation of the video. Whitmer’s office provided a copy of the statement to The News.

“In my 25 years of public service, I would never do anything that denigrates anyone’s faith,” the statement said. “I have used my platform to advocate for people’s right to embrace and practice their personal religious beliefs. My team spoke with the Michigan Catholic Conference. What was supposed to be a video about what the CHIPS Act means for jobs in Michigan was interpreted as something it was never intended to be, and I apologize.

Bishop Bonnie Perry of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan called the governor “an ally of the faith community.”

“We must be extremely careful about how information is misconstrued and interpreted, especially during this tense election season,” Perry said in a statement on Sunday. “I am grateful that Governor Whitmer apologized. I look forward to moving on to more important topics.”

Similar “feed someone” videos on TikTok show people being fed food by a friend before the camera pans back to the person offering the food, who often wears an uncomfortable expression. Most of the videos are set to the song “Dilemma.”

The Instagram video Plank posted on Thursday initially included the comment, “If he doesn’t want to do it, Big Gretch will do it,” then was later amended to include a reference to the CHIPS Act as the video began to go viral.

“If he doesn’t do it, Gretchen Whitmer will,” Plank wrote in the edited Instagram post. “Not only are chips delicious, the CHIPS Act fundamentally changes technology and manufacturing in the U.S. by boosting domestic production of semiconductors to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers! Donald Trump would jeopardize that.”

While Plank’s interview with Whitmer briefly mentions advanced manufacturing, the two did not otherwise mention the CHIPS Act in the recording Plank posted to YouTube. Whitmer’s administration has tried to recruit semiconductor companies to build a microchip factory in Michigan.

In the YouTube interview, titled “Chip Chat,” Whitmer and Plank ate chips from Michigan’s Better Made and talked about abortion, the plot to kidnap the governor and finding common ground with disaffected male voters.

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Staff writer Craig Mauger contributed.