Trump returns to Grand Rapids to make final pitch to voters ahead of pivotal Election Day
GRAND RAPIDS — For the third time, and likely the final time, former President Donald Trump ventured to Grand Rapids to make his last appeal to voters ahead of Election Day .
Speaking inside Van Andel Arena, Trump pitched confidence and optimism for his own campaign while denigrating his political opposition and offering a foreboding vision for the U.S. if he does not win the election. A poor Election Day showing from Republican voters, Trump warned his supporters, would result in Vice President Kamala Harris winning the presidency.
"We're in very good shape. I have to tell you, we're way up in terms of the vote," Trump said. "I really want you to just assume that it's sort of even, and you're going to turn out tomorrow."
Michigan is among the states where voters had the option to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. State election officials said 3.2 million voters in Michigan either voted at an early voting center or via an absentee ballot.
"To make you feel a little guilty, we'd only have you to blame," Trump later joked to his supporters.
The former president took the stage to raucous cheers around 12:15 a.m., hours after his scheduled start time of 10:30 p.m. Supporters remained in the mostly full arena despite the delay, although as Trump continued to speak past 1:30 a.m., many in the crowd departed. Trump wrapped up his speech shortly after 2 a.m.
During his remarks, which ran past 2 a.m., Trump continued to make many of the same claims he has throughout his third presidential campaign, blaming Harris and Democrats for economic inflation and increased crossings at the U.S. southern border with Mexico. He also continued to make unfounded claims about election integrity in the U.S., saying "They have to cheat, and they do, and they do it very well."
He also lashed out at his political opponents, at one point calling former U.S. House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi "an evil, sick person" and referring to his former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly as being "dumb as a rock."
Trump also reiterated his plans to institute tariffs on goods produced outside of the U.S. He singled out car production, saying 200% tariffs on foreign-built cars would spur domestic production.
Trump has made Michigan a frequent stop, rallying and campaigning in the state 17 times since the start of the year . His running mate on the Republican ticket, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, campaigned in Flint earlier Monday as well.
It's become somewhat of a tradition for Trump to hold the final rally of his campaign in Grand Rapids, having also done so in 2016 and 2020. He admitted holding four rallies in a single day – Trump held a rally in North Carolina and two in Pennsylvania before arriving in Michigan – was difficult but told supporters he was determined to return to the city before Election Day.
"Grand Rapids, it's been a special place," he said. "Remember 2016? We were given a 3% chance, we came to Grand Rapids, I said 'how the hell are we going to lose?'"
Grand Rapids is the largest city in Kent County, a crucial battleground in Michigan. Trump won Kent County on his way to carrying Michigan in 2016, but Democrats at the top of the ticket have won Kent County in elections since 2018.
Before Trump took the stage, Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Bill Bazzi each spoke, a nod to the Trump campaign's appeals to Arab American and Muslim voters frustrated with President Joe Biden's handling of the war in Gaza.
"My community members, the surrounding cities, there's a lot of support for President Trump," Bazzi said. Along with the mayors, several Republican members of Michigan's congressional delegation, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers also spoke.
Harris supporters panned Trump's visit. Ahead of the rally, Democrats, joined by former Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, criticized Trump and said the former president has focused the final days of his campaign sowing division. Upton said many Republicans will privately vote for Harris.
"In the final days of his presidential campaign, he's not talking about solving problems," Upton said Monday morning in Grand Rapids. "Instead, he continues to rant and disagree in a pretty vile way with folks instead.
"I've said for many months that Trump should stick to the major issues of the day ... but he's refused to do that."
Upton, who left Congress in 2022, was one of a handful of Republicans who voted to impeach Trump the year before inciting the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Michigan is considered a crucial state to deciding the outcome of the presidential election, among the handful of swing states winnable for both Trump and Harris. Polls in Michigan show a close race between the candidates – heading into Election Day, the RealClearPolling average of recent polls conducted in Michigan had Harris leading Trump by half a percentage point.
Harris campaigned in Michigan Sunday, making stops in Detroit and rallying in East Lansing. Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, rallied in Detroit Monday evening as well .
Contact Arpan Lobo: for more on Michigan's elections this year? Check out our voter guide , subscribe to our elections newsletter and always feel free to share your thoughts in a letter to the editor .
