Trump tells supporters he loves them as campaign end nears

Before former President Donald Trump took the stage for another Michigan rally Saturday, the Suburban Collection Showplace had already transformed into a high-production, full-bore "Make America Great Again" convention.

In the parking lot, MAGA flags swayed in the wind. A man who led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance added a new line at the end: "Never surrender." Before she started singing, the woman who performed the National Anthem told Trump supporters to take off their red hats.

One black and white video that played while the crowd waited to hear from the GOP nominee showed Trump walking down a hallway with a stern look on his face: "We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media and we will liberate Americans from these villains once and for all," Trump said in a voiceover narration.

But for some, team loyalties appeared to run deeper than politics as they donned University of Michigan and Michigan State University swag on the day of the game between the college football rivals.

Trump touched on familiar themes during his remarks. He spent much of his hour and a half on stage talking about trade protectionism and using nativist rhetoric.

"This is going to be America's golden age. You watch," Trump promised if he's elected. He painted a dystopian picture if Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris wins. "Kamala Harris is a trainwreck who has destroyed everything in her path."

While most cheered Trump, Evan Andridge 28, of Livonia, came to disrupt the rally. "You lost 2020, you fascist," he shouted at Trump. One man nearby hovered over Andridge and told him to shut his mouth. Another said Andridge was "going to get pounded on his way out." A woman said in his ear as Andridge took questions from the press, "libtard go home." According to one police officer who spoke to the Free Press, he was escorted out of the venue.

Trump said he's building a big tent to win the Nov. 5 election, calling it the "biggest, broadest and most diverse coalition in American history." Trump touted support he has among Arab American and Muslim voters. "They could turn the election one way or the other," he said. Before Imam Belal Alzuhiry and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi came on stage to characterize Trump as a champion for peace in the Middle East, Trump blasted Harris for embracing the support of Republican former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and her father former Vice President Dick Cheney. He described the Cheneys as warmongers.

When Trump was in Michigan last week, he praised Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while blasting President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. "Biden is trying to hold (Netanyahu) back," Trump told reporters. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have died during Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. This month, Israel began a ground invasion in Lebanon and began a retaliatory attack on Iran with airstrikes Saturday.

In addition to Arab American and Muslim support, Trump also touted Black voters backing his campaign in a campaign speech in which he made another dig at Detroit: Michigan's largest majority-Black city.

Trump once again likened Detroit to a developing country. Blake Howard, a 40-year-old Black man from Northville, who attended the rally wore a "Trump v. Everybody" shirt in the style of the "Detroit v. Everybody" design. Howard said he took no issue with Trump's repeated comments about Detroit, including that the entire U.S. will look like Detroit if Harris wins.

"People must have a short memory," he said, pointing to the corruption scandal that sent Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to prison and other challenges the city has faced. And its comeback isn't complete with a revitalization that has taken hold in the city's downtown but not all of its neighborhoods, Howard said. He said he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and tentatively cast a ballot for Trump in 2020, but now he's fully supportive of the GOP nominee.

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Thomas Ellison, 70, of St. Clair Shores has long been a Trump fan. He attended the rally Saturday and said he plans to heed Republicans' calls this year to vote early. Ellison said he's always voted in person on Election Day, but for the first time, he said he plans to cast an absentee ballot. Trump's embrace of early voting methods this year – a reversal from 2020 – will help the GOP nominee amass more votes, Ellison said. "The Vegas voting's saying Trump's going to win, and the polls... always underestimate him. Because I know if they call me, I'm not saying nothing," he said. Ellison noted that he's a lifelong Lions fan when he expressed confidence in a Trump victory this fall. "I know the underdog, you know?"

Harris is set to join former First Lady Michelle Obama in Kalamazoo later Saturday, but her campaign blasted Trump ahead of his rally. "A second Trump term would be an even bigger risk to the stability and security of hardworking families," said Michigan Coordinated Campaign Rapid Response Director Shafeeqa Kolia in an emailed statement. "Trump has made it clear: He doesn't care about us, he only looks out for himself and he doesn't care about the harm he causes in his quest for unprecedented, unchecked power."

As Trump primed his supporters not to accept the results of a close election – urging them to vote in droves to win by "a landslide that simply is too big to rig" – Trump grew wistful at the end of his remarks.

"You know? This is a little bit sad because in another eleven days we won't be doing this anymore," he said. "We've had the greatest rallies, the greatest time. And really talking about very bad things but doing it in a positive fashion."

Trump thanked his supporters for joining his campaign. "The spirit – I don't know if it's ever going to be replicated. But I just want to tell you, I love you all," Trump said.

Those in attendance seemed to soak in the moment. As Trump talked about his plans for the economy during his remarks, a woman nestled her head into a man's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her back in a tender embrace. A Novi police officer who walked across the floor stopped briefly to snap a few pictures of Trump on stage. A man who left Trump's speech early made a quick stop by the barricaded press area and yelled "fake news" at the reporters.

Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump grows wistful in Michigan as campaign comes to close