Trump and Vance campaign in Michigan following DNC

As Nov. 5 draws closer, former President Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, are turning their attention to the seven swing states that could decide the trajectory of the election, including Michigan and its 16 electoral college votes. 

In the 2016 presidential election, Trump beat out former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes — less than half of a percentage point. In 2020, Michigan flipped back to the Democrats when Biden won the state over Trump by about 3 percentage points. Following the 2022 midterm elections, Michigan Democrats took control of the state’s House, Senate and governorship for the first time since 1984. The presidential race is expected to be close, though recent polls of Michigan show Harris taking a slight lead over Trump. While Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted their party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Trump made a campaign stop in Howell on Aug. 21. In his remarks, Trump focused on his dedication to supporting law enforcement officials and ensuring safety for Americans.

“Our policemen and women have the backs of law-abiding citizens every single day,” Trump said. “They take care of what they have to do in some very adverse conditions. And when we go back to the White House, you’re going to see support the likes of which you haven’t seen certainly in four years.”

He also criticized the DNC, saying he felt Democrats avoided discussing the most prevalent issues facing the country.

“The crime in America, the fact is, is out of control,” Trump said. “I watched last night in amazement as they tried to pretend that everything was great, the crime was great, the border was great, there wasn’t a problem at all. No inflation, no nothing.”

Vance also took the stage in Michigan. In a campaign event in Big Rapids on Aug. 27, he criticized Harris for her role in the Biden administration.

“As much as fake Kamala wants to pretend that she now agrees with Donald Trump, we’ve got to remind her, she’s the vice president right now,” Vance said. “Stop talking about what you’re going to do. Start talking about what you are going to do right now because you’re the vice president.”

In an appeal to working class voters in the state, Vance criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA, signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1993, has become a talking point for Republicans as a cause for the loss of American jobs. The tangible impact of NAFTA is debated, with most Americans viewing it favorably while it was in effect. Although Harris was not in Congress when NAFTA was passed, she did vote against Trump’s replacement for the deal — the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — which replaced NAFTA in 2020.

“Remember, Kamala Harris supported the reauthorization of NAFTA, which has been terrible for the state of Michigan, the state of Ohio and the state of Pennsylvania,” Vance said. “Proud towns became ghost towns. Dignified American workers became dependent on the government and families, including a lot of families like mine, fell apart under financial stress.”

Vance also criticized Democrats’ focus on joy at the DNC, pitching Trump to voters as the candidate of hope.

“While Donald Trump is the people’s president and Kamala Harris is running on a fake joy, Donald Trump is going to offer something very, very different,” Vance said. “He’s going to offer a very real hope for the future of this country. Hope that we can reignite our economy and bring back prosperity. Hope that we can raise our kids in secure neighborhoods with safe borders. Hope that we can renew the patriotism that binds us together as one nation under God.”

Trump returned to the state on Aug. 29 for an event at Alro Steel in Potterville focused on the economy and manufacturing jobs. He criticized Harris for her role in the Biden administration, highlighting high costs and inflation, which he promises to reduce if he wins reelection.

“She does not care about the middle class struggling over inflation, the cost of gasoline, electricity, and she doesn’t care about the cost of food,” Trump said. “She does not care if you lose your job, or cannot find another comparable job. She doesn’t care. She does not care if you have to run up your credit card to levels that are unsustainable. She does not care if you and your family are struggling. And she did absolutely nothing to fix it.”

Brian Pannebecker, founder of Auto Workers for Trump 2024, also took the stage in Potterville. The group formed in opposition to the views of the United Auto Workers union, which endorsed Harris after previously endorsing President Joe Biden. The UAW came into the political spotlight after their strike last fall against the Big Three automakers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Pannebecker said he was worried about the potential economic impact of increased production of electric vehicles on manufacturing jobs.

“Listen, Chrysler and General Motors have already gone bankrupt once, but if we allow electric vehicle mandates to be put on this industry by the federal government, they’re going out of business again,” Pannebecker said. “We (have) got to fight against that.”

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA junior Kyle Brown, chairman of the University of Michigan chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, said he felt some young conservatives had reservations about Trump going into election season.

“I think a lot of people just want a fresh start on both sides with their respective candidates,” Brown said. “The liberals were successful, conservatives not so much. There are certain parts about Trump that people are excited about, certain parts that they are not so excited about, but you can’t get everything you want from a candidate.”

Brown said while some conservatives may not agree with all of Trump’s stances, he believes most would still prefer him to Harris.

“I think true conservatives are choosing between two candidates that they are not really the biggest fans of but, all things considered, they’d rather have Trump than (Harris),” Brown said. “Trump’s going to have to do a lot more moderating to actually start pissing conservatives off to the point where they won’t vote for him.”

Democrats have also been focusing their efforts on Michigan; Harris made a campaign stop in Detroit on Labor Day to speak alongside national union leaders, and Gwen Walz spoke at an event for the Michigan Education Association on Wednesday. Biden is set to take the stage in Ann Arbor tomorrow at the United Association Local 190 Training Center to give remarks on his Investing in America agenda.

Daily News Editor Mary Corey can be reached at mcorey@umich.edu.

Related articles