Donald Trump, JD Vance tag-team Michigan in push for votes

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, tag-teamed Michigan on Friday making their case to voters ahead of Tuesday's election.

Trump returned to Warren to address a crowd of about 2,000 people at Macomb Community College, telling them "If we win Michigan, we win the whole bowl of wax."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was one of the warmup speakers, telling the crowd he would help Trump make America healthy again.

Trump was on stage for about an hour and forty-five minutes, delivering a rambling speech punctuated by several videos that appeared to be extended versions of some of his campaign television commercials.

Trump repeated his calls for tariffs on foreign-made autos, calling the word tariff, "one of the most beautiful words."

He lashed out at his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, blaming her for inflation, foreign wars and the "migrant invasion."

"The day I'm sworn in, the migrant invasion will end," Trump said to loud applause from the crowd.

Trump blasted migrants, blaming them for crime and said they are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic people in America.

He also shouted out local leaders in attendance including mayors from Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck, Southgate and Garden City. Trump touted a meeting earlier in the day with Arab American leaders in Dearborn, saying he'd promised them that he would bring peace to the Middle East.

More: Trump meets Arab Americans in Dearborn, vows to bring peace in Middle East

The Harris campaign blasted Trump's assertions.

“Today, Trump will try to recast himself. But let’s be clear: He is not the candidate of peace, he is the candidate of divisiveness," Sami Khaldi, President of Dearborn Democratic Club, said on behalf of the Harris campaign. "Let’s not forget that he has urged Benjamin Netanyahu to 'finish the job' in Gaza and told him 'do what you have to do.' ”

About 30 minutes into the speech, a trickle of people began to leave and by the hour mark it was a steady flow, prompting a campaign volunteer to urge people standing outside the seating area to come inside and take some of the vacated seats.

Trump began the speech sounding nostalgic, noting he'd been doing rallies for nine years now and there were only a few more days of the campaign left.

Some of the visitors were feeling nostalgic as well.

Jim Lialios, 76, of Shelby Township, said he was a Democrat back in the 1960s and '70s, but became a Republican in the 1980s. He has been following Trump since his first run.

"I've never been to a rally in my life," Lialios said. "I just thought it would be a great opportunity to view history. I've heard a lot of his speeches, so I'm sure it'll be the same, but I want to see it in person."

Tracey Miller, 58, of Shelby Township, felt the same way.

"I saw Trump twice in 2016, couldn't see him in 2020," she said. "This is the last chance so wanted to check it out."

Unlike in 2020, when Trump repeatedly criticized absentee and early voting, the latter of which hadn't been implemented in Michigan yet, his campaign is now embracing voting ahead of Election Day.

In Portage earlier in the day, Vance told several hundred supporters to cast their votes as early as possible, lauding those in attendance who already had.

“We ought to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to vote,” Vance said.

As the Republican presidential ticket descended on Michigan on Friday, millions of voters had already cast ballots ahead of Election Day. Nearly 2.6 million voters had either returned an absentee ballot or voted at an early voting center by Friday morning, according to data made available by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office.

Vance spoke in front of supporters holding blue and red signs reading “vote early.” He warned supporters if they waited until Election Day, they risked ceding early votes to the Harris campaign.

“Here’s the game that’s being played, the Democrats are trying to bank as many votes as physically possible, so they can have as big of a lead on Election Day,” he said. “It’s like a football game where you start the game down by three touchdowns. Let’s start the game tied so we can get over the finish line and win the game.”

In 2018 and 2022, voters in Michigan passed ballot measures that expanded absentee voting and established early voting, respectively.

Vance, who spoke at an airplane hangar near the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, continued to make many of the same pitches to supporters he and Trump have during their campaign. Vance told supporters Trump is a better candidate on the economy and the border, two central themes of the campaign’s platform. He also derided Democrats for what he described as wanting to censor political opponents.

More: Trump meets Arab Americans in Dearborn, vows to bring peace in Middle East

Not long into Vance’s remarks, which lasted around 30 minutes, a man in the audience started to yell at the senator as he was speaking, although his exact words weren’t audible to news media in the press pen at the venue. A Kalamazoo County sheriff’s deputy said after the event the man was asked to leave the venue and departed without issue.

In Michigan and other states, both campaigns have placed much of their voter turnout efforts on getting supporters to the polls as early as they can.

A recent Free Press poll found that among respondents who voted early, Harris led Trump, 64% to 35% (in the poll, 31% of respondents had voted early or via absentee ballot). Early voting in Michigan runs through Sunday, and voters who requested an absentee ballot must return it to their local clerk by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day for it to be counted.

In Portage, when U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Township, asked the crowd who had voted early, many raised their hands and cheered.

Rich and Donna Vegter, of Cassopolis, were among the Trump voters who cast absentee ballots. Before Vance’s remarks began, they said they supported and volunteered for Trump’s campaign because they viewed him as a candidate that would help reduce inflation and prevent the U.S. from getting involved in foreign wars, if elected again.

Rich Vegter said he felt confident about Trump’s momentum heading toward Election Day. Donna Vegter agreed, noting in their community, they’ve seen more yard signs supporting Trump and American flags than ever before.

“People are embracing Trump,” she said. Rich Vegter maligned Harris’ rhetoric, particularly calling Trump a fascist. “He connects to everyone; she’s divisive,” he said.

Democrats panned Trump and Vance’s visits to Michigan, holding an event with former elected Republicans before they spoke Friday. In Kalamazoo, former Republican state Rep. Dave Maturen said Trump continues to deny the outcome of the 2020 election, adding some of his allies have been “laying the groundwork for another big lie and the potential for violence once again.

“(Trump is) one who not only denies the results of a fair election, but spreads out lies over four years to millions of his followers, and one who sows doubt and distrust about the very fabric of our democracy, our voting system,” Maturen said.

Trump is set to return to Michigan before Election Day — he's slated to hold a Monday night rally in Grand Rapids, continuing his tradition of holding his final rally in the city. Harris will campaign in Michigan on Sunday.

Michigan is among the handful of states considered key to deciding the presidential election. Polls, conducted both nationally and in Michigan, show a narrow race between the candidates with just days until the election.

Contact John Wisely and Arpan Lobo: [email protected] and [email protected]

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Donald Trump and JD Vance tag-team Michigan in push for votes