Trump returns to Macomb County, reflecting on the campaign while lashing out at Harris and Cheney
Former President Donald Trump adresses supporters in Warren on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
With four days until Election Day, former President Donald Trump returned to Macomb Community College in Warren where he continued to to push for support from voters in part of the state known for its blue collar manufacturing jobs.
Trump previously held a town hall at the same location on Sept. 27, taking questions from auto workers in an event moderated by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
In a rambling speech that lasted almost two hours on Friday evening, Trump reflected on his campaign, going on various tangents amid his usual discussions of jobs, the economy and immigration, The former president also noted he was having a bad hair day, complained about issues with microphones and audio contractors, discussed the increased in sales of "dark MAGA" hats — short for Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" — following Tesla CEO Elon Musk's appearance in an all black cap at a rally in Butler, Penn., and mocked President Joe Biden's trips to the beach.
Trump and his allies hit back against Democratic comments about Trump supporters, with some audience members donning trash bags in reference to a remark President Joe Biden made following comments from a comedian calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" during Trump's Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden.
According to the original transcript from the official White House stenographers, Biden told Latino activists, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American." However, a later version of the transcript released by the White House Press office included an apostrophe in "supporter's" as reported by the Associated Press
A post to Biden's X account later said he was referring to the "hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter[s] at his Madison Square Garden rally."
Alongside his usual attacks on Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, blaming their leadership for recent losses in manufacturing and private sector jobs and falsely stating that they had instituted an electric vehicle mandate, Trump frequently insulted his political opponents, calling Biden and Harris "losers" and repeatedly referring to Harris as "stupid" "weak" and a "low IQ person."
He also called United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain — who has frequently criticized Trump and led a get-out-the-vote rally in Detroit Friday evening — a "poor, stupid fool." Trump also took shots at U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) saying "she, like Kamala, is a stupid person."
Earlier this week, Trump drew controversy during an appearance with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson for comments he made about the former representative , saying "Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let's see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face."
Cheney and her father, GOP former Vice President Dick Cheney, have both endorsed Harris, with the former congresswoman arguing Trump is both unfit for office and a threat to American Democracy. Trump in turn, has called Liz Cheney a war hawk, calling out her father's role in beginning the Iraq war.
"If you gave Liz Cheney a gun and put her into battle facing the other side with guns pointing at her, she wouldn't have the courage or the strength, or the stamina to even look the enemy in the eye," Trump said.
"These war hawks. They want to draft your kids to die in wars, and they will never fight themselves," Trump said of the Cheneys.
Trump also repeated his promise to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to "target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on America," while calling for the death penalty for any migrant who kills an American citizen or a law enforcement officer.
Former President Donald Trump addresses supports at a rally in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024, while one supporter sports a trash bag reading "Trump Trash." | Kyle Davidson
Audience members towards the end of former President Donald Trump's rally in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Former independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Former independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Supporters of former President Donald Trump gathered in Warren on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 for a rally a few days out from Election Day. | Kyle Davidson
Former President Donald Trump adresses supporters in Warren on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Former President Donald Trump takes the stage during a rally in Warren on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Former President Donald Trump takes the stage during a rally in Warren on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Miss.) speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Some attendees at former President Donald Trump's rally in Warren on Nov. 2, 2024 donned trash bags in reference to comments made by President Joe Biden about Trump's Madison Square Garden Rally. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren, Mich. on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Brian Pannebecker and Auto Workers for Trump on stage at the former president's Nov. 1, 2024 rally in Warren. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Senate Candidate and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Senate Candidate and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) speaks at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Ronald Singer, candidate for Michigan's 13th House District, leads the pledge of allegiance at a really for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Warren on Nov. 1, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
He pledged to ban sanctuary cities, referring to a practice in which come cities will limit cooperation with federal immigration officials without preventing these officials from carrying out their enforcement duties.
While the Trump campaign has repeatedly sought to tie undocumented immigrants to crime, numerous studies have found no link between undocumented immigrants and crime, with a 2021 study published in the Oxford Economic Papers finding undocumented immigrants are 33% less likely to be institutionalized compared to US natives.
A report from the Marshall Project published earlier this year examined policing data in cities that received a significant number of migrants from Texas since 2022 — including New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and Denver — and found no link between crime and the influx of migrants.
Additionally, Trump has frequently pointed to instances of migrants committing crimes across the U.S. which were later disproven, including stories of Venezuelan gang members taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colo., which were later disputed by residents and city officials
Trump also repeated promises to give American companies "the lowest taxes, the lowest energy cost, the lowest regulatory burdens and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet" alongside other proposals including no taxes on tips, making automotive loans for American-made cars tax deductible, creating a tax credit for family caregivers and having Congress pass a reciprocal trade policy where the U.S. would respond by levying an equal tariff if a nation charges 100% or 200% on American goods.
"The most beautiful word in the dictionary, to me, is 'tariff.' I think it's the most beautiful word. It's going to make our country rich. And these stupid people — look politicians, there's only two reasons why they wouldn't want to use tariffs: they're stupid or they're corrupt. There's no third reason," Trump said.
He also repeated his attacks on transgender Americans pledging to "get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our schools," and "keep men out of women's sports."
Additionally, Trump said he would support a bill to punish individuals who burned the American flag with a year in jail.
In the case of Texas v. Johnson , the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 majority that burning the American flag is considered symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment, determining that a Texas law punishing actions such as flag burning discriminated against specific viewpoints.
Shortly after, Trump pledged to "restore free speech" and "defend the right to keep and bear arms."
Prior to his visit to Warren, Trump stopped in Dearborn , to meet with community leaders, though Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud was absent from the event.
Hammoud, who has refused to endorse Harris, later slammed Trump's visit in a post to X
"The architect of the Muslim Ban is making a campaign stop in Dearborn. People in this community know what Trump stands for — we suffered through it for years. I've refused a sit down with him although the requests keep pouring in. Trump will never be my president," Hammoud said.
"To the Dems — your unwillingness to stop funding and enabling a genocide created the space for Trump to infiltrate our communities. Remember that," Hammoud said, criticizing Democrats for continuing to provide support for Israel in its war on Gaza, with Gaza's health ministry reporting that at least 43,259 people have been killed following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people
Trump's running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D Vance (R-Ohio) stopped in Michigan Friday, rallying supporters in Portage
Harris's running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also visited Michigan Friday, joining Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) for a string of campaign stops across the state.
Former independent presidential candidate and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Trump Friday, where he voiced frustration with Democrats' lawsuits to keep him off the ballot in several states during his presidential bid, as well as the Supreme Court's Tuesday decision declining to issue an order to have his name removed from the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan, following his decision to end his campaign in August.
"When you go into that voting booth, you're gonna see my name on the ballot. I do not want you to vote for me," Kennedy said.
"If you want to see me from Washington, you better vote for Donald Trump," Kennedy said.
In a video obtained by Politico earlier this week, Kennedy said Trump had promised him control of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture.
Trump has previously floated Kennedy for a role in his administration, telling CNN in August he would "certainly" be open to it.
