MILFORD, Mich. (AP) 鈥� came to Michigan on Monday and argued that his economic policies have revived the auto industry and American manufacturing, even as some businesses contend that the sweeping tariffs he鈥檚 have actually hurt the state.
Trump visited a sprawling General Motors facility in the Detroit suburb of Milford that is a testing ground for its vehicles. He pumped a fist after watching a trio of drag races that involved muscle cars and luxury vehicles like the Corvette Z06, Cadillac Escalade V, and EV Hummer 鈥� events the announcer promised were 鈥渁ll America First power.鈥�
It was the kind of thundering speed the president is expecting at next month, which is part of celebrations.
In a subsequent speech inside a design facility, the president cheered GM’s plans to expand production domestically in coming years and declared himself a president who was standing up for auto workers 鈥渁t long last.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e done more for you than your parents, OK?” he joked.
Michigan was one of the 2024 after it backed Democrat in 2020. But the state has seen parts of its economy affected by the president鈥檚 tariffs, including on imported cars and auto parts. Automakers have tariffs increase the cost of doing business, which leads to higher prices for consumers.
Company officials led Trump on a tour where he saw various GM models, including the latest versions of the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado 鈥� the production of which he argued had been boosted by tariffs.
At one point, POTUS grabbed a pen and signed the hood of a white Corvette that was made specifically for America’s 250th birthday.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e come a long way,鈥� he said to reporters about the Detroit-based automaker during the tour. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing what tariffs are doing for GM.鈥� Trump said he鈥檚 been good to the company but he declined to say more.
鈥淭he rest of the world doesn鈥檛 love me, but that鈥檚 OK,鈥� he said, alluding to tariffs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 called 鈥楢merica first.鈥欌��
Trump’s visit previews Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary
The president鈥檚 speech lasted more than an hour and was wide ranging 鈥� hitting on the economy, the war in Iran and the U.S. military operation that toppled the leader of Venezuela.
He also touched on communism, crime rates, his administration’s efforts to transform the nation’s capital and even how carefully he treads to keep from tripping while on stage or deplaning from Air Force One.
With early primary voting already underway, Trump called on stage Republican Reps. Lisa McClain, Tom Barrett and Tim Walberg, as well as gubernatorial candidate John James and Senate candidate Mike Rogers.
is unopposed in the Senate primary, but the GOP gubernatorial contest pits James, who is backed by Trump, against , a businessman turned politician who has launched unsuccessful campaigns before, including for president in 2024.
Trump’s new Canada tariffs could hurt Michigan
A new round of is taking effect on dozens of U.S. trading partners. Yet Trump has singled out Canada with tariffs as high as 50% on a wide array of its products, including cars.
The GM facility he toured is in Oakland County, which encompasses much of Detroit’s northern suburbs. Once a Republican stronghold, it has increasingly leaned Democratic, backing Biden against Trump and Vice President against Trump four years later.
GM says its facility is the oldest dedicated vehicle testing operation in the United States, where 4,200 employees work to refine nearly every vehicle the company makes before they reach consumers. It has more than 150 miles of test roads and the early innovations perfected on site include the first mass-produced automatic transmission, known as the “Hydra-Matic.鈥�
Michigan’s economy relies heavily on Canada, meaning the new tariffs 鈥� coupled with and gas prices as the already in escalates 鈥� have created additional economic concerns statewide. Some advocacy groups citing import and tariff data, says tariffs have cost Michigan businesses billions of dollars just since last spring.
The latest tariffs come at a time when voters across the country were already .
Jason Roe, a former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party who tried unsuccessfully to distance it from Trump’s 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement in 2021, said that more than coinciding with his new round of tariffs, Trump’s visit is a function of Michigan’s relatively late primary and is meant to ensure that James secures the nomination.
But Roe also said it was a risk for the president to tie himself too closely to top Republicans before the general election, calling it 鈥渒ryptonite to November voters.鈥�
Trump, who won the White House on a promise to lower , also has seen his , meaning kitchen table issues could be a liability for Republicans trying to hold control of Congress in the Nov. 3 elections.
鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to have the president here, campaigning with Republicans. We think it highlights the fact that the only thing they care about is Donald Trump and refuse to stand up to him,” said Curtis Hertel, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party. “It鈥檚 good for us every time the president is here because he鈥檚 incredibly unpopular.鈥�
The US and Canada have squabbled over a new border bridge
The Supreme Court many of Trump鈥檚 sweeping tariffs, but his administration has tried to find ways around that, including by arguing that he can impose them on Canada because that country is discriminating against American exports of products including automobiles.
But Trump鈥檚 latest round of tariffs came after he voiced frustration with Canada for having retaliated and imposed its own levies on U.S. imports in response to Trump鈥檚 initial tariffs last year. Trump launched the first round after alleging Canada should do more to stop fentanyl smuggling.
In January, he in Dearborn and addressed the Detroit Economic Club, offering a defense of tariffs even as auto industry leaders blamed them for increasing the cost of doing business. The president with a rally in Warren, where he mostly mentioned grievances left over from the 2024 campaign,
Monday’s visit coincided with the linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, that was beset by tensions between the U.S. and Canadian governments.
Canada canceled a planned joint celebration for the $4.7 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge and instead after Trump announced the new Canadian tariffs.
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Superville reported from Washington.
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