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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump traveled to Flint Tuesday evening for a town hall event moderated by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Speaking to a crowd of about 8,000 people, Trump discussed electric vehicles, international relations and the future of the American auto industry.
In her introductory remarks, Sanders echoed the words of JD Vance, Republican vice presidential nominee, who implied that Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala is less fit for office because she does not have biological children.
“Not only do my kids serve as a permanent reminder of what’s important, they also keep me humble,” Sanders said. “Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble. You would think, after four years of straight failure, she would know a little humility.”
In light of the assassination attempt against Trump on July 13 and another apparent assassination attempt on Sept. 15, Sanders lauded Trump’s resilience.
“You’ve literally taken a bullet for our country, and yet you never give up,” Sanders said. “The reason that you’re going to win in November is because America needs a fighter. We’ve never needed a fighter more, and we’ve never had somebody more qualified to step in and lead our country than you.”
U-M alum John Ballard, an attendee from Linden, said in an interview with The Michigan Daily he is troubled by worsening partisan hostility in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, especially with regard to recent attempts on Trump’s life.
“We’re concerned about the violent rhetoric that’s been going on,” Ballard said. “I’m concerned about everything that you hear in the media, like the dangerous things they say about what should happen to President Trump, and even sometimes Republicans say it about Democrats. I hope that that goes away soon and doesn’t get elevated anymore before the election.”
Soon after taking the stage, Trump reflected on the decline of the Michigan auto industry and criticized General Motors’ recent decision to produce EVs in Mexico. He proposed high tariffs to make American cars more competitive in the global market.
“So what’s happening is they’re building these massive auto plants (in Mexico and China), and they think they’re going to make tens of thousands of automobiles and sell them in here, no tax, no nothing,” Trump said. “It’s not going to happen when you put on tariffs. Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented.”
Despite critiquing EVs, Trump praised electric vehicles made by Tesla, a company owned by Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump this July.
“(Musk) is a great, great guy, and he loves the state, and he loves your home, everything you do here, and he’s done a fantastic job. He really has,” Trump said. “And if he didn’t endorse me, I would not be saying that.”
Once a booming center of the 20th-century American auto industry, Flint is home to General Motors, which employed 85,000 Flint residents at its peak. In the late 1980s, the company began closing plants in the Flint area, laying off tens of thousands and catapulting the city into economic turmoil. At Tuesday’s town hall, Trump promised to rejuvenate the American auto industry, saying that, under his administration, the industry could be “as big or bigger” than 50 years ago.
In an interview with The Daily, David Hammond, an attendee from Saginaw, said he felt grateful that Trump had recognized the value of the Midwest’s industrial output.
“This is the breadbasket,” Hammond said. “This is where it all happens. They like to call it flyover country, but everything happens from here. There is the East Coast and the West Coast, and then there is the working class in the middle, so it is important for him to be here.”
Reflecting on current foreign affairs, Trump falsely claimed that military equipment left in Afghanistan after the United States withdrew from the region in 2021 was sold to Russia, aiding in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While U.S. weapons have been found in the possession of the Taliban, there is no evidence of transfers to Russia.
Trump told the audience he would have handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan differently if he had been reelected in 2020, as well as prevented Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I guarantee you, if the election were a straight election, and we won that election — we should have won that election, everybody knew we won the election — Putin never would have attacked,” Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he won the 2020 presidential election, while election officials across the country have confirmed that there was no widespread fraud.
When asked by an audience member about the primary threats to Michigan’s auto industry, Trump issued a warning about the repercussions of nuclear warfare.
“When you say major threat, to me, we have one really major threat and that’s called nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “The fact is it’s a tremendous problem, and we are closer to World War III today than we’ve ever been. The difference is, and I say this a lot, this isn’t army tanks going back and forth and shooting at each other. This is obliteration, the power of these weapons.”
According to Trump, a strong leader and negotiator could maintain geopolitical order and protect the U.S. from foreign countries with nuclear capabilities.
“The fact is, we have to have people that are respected by the opponent,” Trump said. “A lot of these (foreign) leaders are fantastic. You have to understand one thing … these people are the sharpest people. They’re not a little bit backward. They are at the top — you know the expression — they’re at the top of their game, and they use it against us.”
Trump shifted to discussing his plans to combat crime, strongly advocating that the U.S. joins China and Singapore in issuing the death penalty for drug dealing offenses — an approach that violates United Nations human rights law.
“These dealers are smart as hell, and they’re tough as hell, and they make a fortune,” Trump said. “If you don’t have the death penalty for drug dealers, you’re just wasting your time.”
Flint, a majority-Black Democratic stronghold city, faces unemployment and poverty rates above the national average. Much of the city’s current racial and economic makeup can be traced back to rapid migration from the city to the suburbs in the 1960s and 70s. This migration, which was unavailable to Black families due to systemic barriers such as redlining, blockbusting and racism, lowered property values and reduced the city’s tax base.
Courtney Castaneda, an attendee from the Chicago area, told The Daily she feels Trump could represent those without a voice in American politics.
“I believe in our country, and I feel like he represents what I think of as the lost American,” Castaneda said. “It’s kind of like all this big business and big government trying to take hold of our country and make all these decisions for us. And in fact, we want to have a voice, and he will make a difference.”
Castaneda continued, explaining her enthusiasm about Trump’s plans to revitalize industry in the Midwest.
“I’m excited to hear what his plan is to support the state of Michigan, a state that has struggled in so many ways,” Castaneda said. “I think there’s lots of opportunity, especially for the economy here in Michigan, and opportunities for jobs, support for the union and the auto industry, all the things that this state needs that have been missing for so long. His vision brings back so much to the state, and I think we’re seeing, kind of witnessing the excitement of people in Michigan supporting his movement.”
Daily Staff Reporter Edith Pendell can be reached at ependell@umich.edu.
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