SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump speaks at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Trump Warns Detroit Voters Whole Country Will 'Be Like Detroit' If Harris Wins
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the city is "defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand."
Oct 10, 2024
Federal, state, and local leaders in Michigan took issue with former President Donald Trump's latest apparent voter mobilization strategy in the crucial battleground state: insulting its largest city while delivering a campaign speech there on Thursday.
At the Detroit Economic Club, the Republican presidential nominee told business owners that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election, the entire country will "end up being like Detroit."
"The whole country will be like, you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit if she's your president. You're gonna have a mess on your hands," he said. "We're not going to let her do that to this country. We're not gonna let it happen."
Trump didn't specify why Detroit residents should recoil at the thought of a country that resembles their city, long recognized as an industrial and cultural center in the Rust Belt. He has previously attacked other large cities, calling Milwaukee "horrible" weeks before the Republican National Convention and saying at Temple University in Philadelphia that the city is "one of the most egregious places anywhere in the world."
The former president has also frequently lambasted Chicago, comparing violence in the nation's third-largest city to that of a war zone.
Critics have accused Trump of singling out cities with large Black and brown communities for his vitriol. More than 77% of Detroit residents are Black.
U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), who represents the city in Congress, implored Trump to "keep Detroit and our people out of your mouth."
"Detroit is a city with a booming economy, diverse culture, and some of the best people in America," he said, adding that the heavily Democratic city "will elect Kamala Harris."
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat, also responded to Trump's comment, pointing to the success of the city's major sports teams, growing population, and sinking crime rate.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, suggested the "grit" of Detroit, which has made a significant rebound since becoming the largest city in U.S. history to declare bankruptcy in 2013, is likely unfamiliar to Trump.
Detroit, she said, is "defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand."
An Emerson College poll out Thursday showed Trump and Harris tied at 49% in Michigan.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Federal, state, and local leaders in Michigan took issue with former President Donald Trump's latest apparent voter mobilization strategy in the crucial battleground state: insulting its largest city while delivering a campaign speech there on Thursday.
At the Detroit Economic Club, the Republican presidential nominee told business owners that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election, the entire country will "end up being like Detroit."
"The whole country will be like, you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit if she's your president. You're gonna have a mess on your hands," he said. "We're not going to let her do that to this country. We're not gonna let it happen."
Trump didn't specify why Detroit residents should recoil at the thought of a country that resembles their city, long recognized as an industrial and cultural center in the Rust Belt. He has previously attacked other large cities, calling Milwaukee "horrible" weeks before the Republican National Convention and saying at Temple University in Philadelphia that the city is "one of the most egregious places anywhere in the world."
The former president has also frequently lambasted Chicago, comparing violence in the nation's third-largest city to that of a war zone.
Critics have accused Trump of singling out cities with large Black and brown communities for his vitriol. More than 77% of Detroit residents are Black.
U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), who represents the city in Congress, implored Trump to "keep Detroit and our people out of your mouth."
"Detroit is a city with a booming economy, diverse culture, and some of the best people in America," he said, adding that the heavily Democratic city "will elect Kamala Harris."
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat, also responded to Trump's comment, pointing to the success of the city's major sports teams, growing population, and sinking crime rate.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, suggested the "grit" of Detroit, which has made a significant rebound since becoming the largest city in U.S. history to declare bankruptcy in 2013, is likely unfamiliar to Trump.
Detroit, she said, is "defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand."
An Emerson College poll out Thursday showed Trump and Harris tied at 49% in Michigan.
From Your Site Articles
- 'Doesn't Make a Damn Bit of Difference': Trump Belittles UAW Strike in Speech at Nonunion Plant ›
- 'Holy Sh*t This Ad Is Powerful': UAW Says It Knows How to Defeat Trump and the Billionaire Class ›
- Trump's Viciously Anti-Worker Record in the Spotlight Ahead of Detroit Trip ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Federal, state, and local leaders in Michigan took issue with former President Donald Trump's latest apparent voter mobilization strategy in the crucial battleground state: insulting its largest city while delivering a campaign speech there on Thursday.
At the Detroit Economic Club, the Republican presidential nominee told business owners that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election, the entire country will "end up being like Detroit."
"The whole country will be like, you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit if she's your president. You're gonna have a mess on your hands," he said. "We're not going to let her do that to this country. We're not gonna let it happen."
Trump didn't specify why Detroit residents should recoil at the thought of a country that resembles their city, long recognized as an industrial and cultural center in the Rust Belt. He has previously attacked other large cities, calling Milwaukee "horrible" weeks before the Republican National Convention and saying at Temple University in Philadelphia that the city is "one of the most egregious places anywhere in the world."
The former president has also frequently lambasted Chicago, comparing violence in the nation's third-largest city to that of a war zone.
Critics have accused Trump of singling out cities with large Black and brown communities for his vitriol. More than 77% of Detroit residents are Black.
U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), who represents the city in Congress, implored Trump to "keep Detroit and our people out of your mouth."
"Detroit is a city with a booming economy, diverse culture, and some of the best people in America," he said, adding that the heavily Democratic city "will elect Kamala Harris."
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat, also responded to Trump's comment, pointing to the success of the city's major sports teams, growing population, and sinking crime rate.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, suggested the "grit" of Detroit, which has made a significant rebound since becoming the largest city in U.S. history to declare bankruptcy in 2013, is likely unfamiliar to Trump.
Detroit, she said, is "defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand."
An Emerson College poll out Thursday showed Trump and Harris tied at 49% in Michigan.
From Your Site Articles
- 'Doesn't Make a Damn Bit of Difference': Trump Belittles UAW Strike in Speech at Nonunion Plant ›
- 'Holy Sh*t This Ad Is Powerful': UAW Says It Knows How to Defeat Trump and the Billionaire Class ›
- Trump's Viciously Anti-Worker Record in the Spotlight Ahead of Detroit Trip ›
Related Articles Around the Web
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.