With a little over a week to go until the Nov. 5 presidential election, former President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Novi on Saturday, which marked the first day of early voting statewide. Polls indicate a close race in Michigan, with Vice President Kamala Harris currently holding a slight lead. The event at the Suburban Collection Showplace marked Trump’s 14th visit to Michigan during his 2024 campaign.
Former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, who is running to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, challenged the audience to take action by voting.
“Are you ready to change course and, after 30 years, send a Republican with Michigan values back to Washington, D.C.?” Rogers said. “I hope you’re going to work as hard as you can to make sure that we reelect Donald J. Trump as president of the United States.”
Tecumseh resident Tammy LeBaron said Saturday’s rally was her first in support of Trump and that she was excited by the event’s energy.
“The closer it gets to the time he’s going to be on, the more hyped-up I seem to feel,” LeBaron said. “I think people that are on the fence and came here, they’re going to fall in. He’s a smooth talker. He just seems honest in what he says, as honest as a politician can be.”
Addressing a crowd of supporters holding blue and red signs emblazoned with “47,” symbolizing Trump’s aim to become the 47th president of the United States, Trump took the stage around 1 p.m. to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” Trump quickly took aim at Harris, accusing her of poor leadership in her past roles as San Francisco district attorney, U.S. senator and attorney general of California.
“Kamala, you’re no good,” Trump said. “You did a lousy job. You destroyed San Francisco. You destroyed California. You destroy everything you touch. You’re not going to destroy our nation. Kamala Harris, you’re fired. Get the hell out of here.”
During his 90-minute speech, Trump also expressed his frustration over current immigration policy and made false claims about migrants entering the country.
“We’re the garbage can for the world,” Trump said. “They dump their criminals, their people with tremendous mental problems from insane asylums, from mental institutions … all from around the world. From Venezuela to the Congo, and (Harris has) resettled them into a community near you.”
There is no evidence corroborating Trump’s assertions that Venezuela or the Congo sends criminals to the United States. Under current U.S. immigration policy, individuals applying for asylum or refugee status undergo a vetting process involving background and security screenings by the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, which assess applicants for criminal and medical history to determine eligibility.
Michigan has one of the largest Arab American populations in the U.S., particularly concentrated in the Detroit metro area. In an effort to appeal to Arab American and Muslim voters, Trump invited several local members of the Arab American community and Muslim community onstage. Trump described those who joined him as leaders of the local Muslim community, including Imam Belal Alzuhairi.
Alzuhairi spoke at the event and expressed support for Trump’s stance on foreign policy.
“We, as Muslims, stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war,” Alzuhairi said. “We are supporting Donald Trump because he promises no more war in the Middle East and Ukraine. The bloodshed has to stop all over the world, and I think that this man can make that happen.”
Trump has not provided a specific plan to address the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East.
Referring to Michigan’s manufacturing sector, Trump criticized the state’s current economic challenges while promising a future turnaround. He also responded to backlash over his criticisms of Detroit in a speech in the city earlier this month.
“I took a lot of heat because I was up here at the economic club,” Trump said. “I wasn’t that positive. You know, they want me to say ‘Oh, Detroit’s great,’ I can’t be positive. Within two years, I’ll be positive. You will see what positive is.”
Trump continued to criticize Detroit, however, describing the city’s economic struggles and population decline as indicators of mismanagement. He promised to revitalize the state’s industries if elected, particularly the automobile sector.
“By the end of my term, the entire world will be talking about the ‘Michigan miracle’ and the stunning rebirth of Detroit,” Trump said.
Warren resident Barb Corn, a volunteer at the polls, voiced her hopes for change in Michigan’s current elected leadership and said she is supporting Trump and other Republican candidates because she believes they would better uphold the Constitution.
“I believe in freedom of speech and in the Constitution — and I think that’s what Republicans represent,” Corn said. “I hope to kind of clean up all the swamp. I think the people that are in charge of Michigan right now, especially the governor, do a crappy job. I’m just sick of all their lies.”
Michigan resident Marita Branch attended the rally wearing a “TRUMP WON” hat, which is a reference to the disproven claims that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 election.
Branch said she believes in the importance of unity and Christian values, and hopes Michigan residents participate in the upcoming election to advance the values they care about.
“I am an Oakland County precinct delegate, and I want people to get out and vote,” Branch said. “I really want to go back to what our country was founded on, our Christian values. That’s what I’m here for. We’re one nation under God. We all have a right to be in this country, legally.”
Daily Staff Reporter Emma Spring can be reached at sprinemm@umich.edu.
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