Trump criticizes opponents during first visit to Michigan since announcing 2024 bid.

Trump Makes Campaign Stop in Michigan, Battling to Regain Support

Donald Trump was in Michigan on Sunday, seeking to win favor in a region that played a pivotal role in his 2016 presidential victory but ultimately contributed to his defeat four years later.

Michigan has experienced a significant political shift since Trump’s initial win, with Democrats making substantial gains in the Rust Belt state. Despite facing a federal indictment for alleged mishandling of classified documents, Trump addressed a crowd at the Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner in suburban Detroit.

At the event, Trump was honored as the party’s “Man of the Decade,” but his focus was primarily on attacking his adversaries, including President Joe Biden and Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida.

Trump criticized Biden as a “catastrophe” for Michigan, particularly in relation to the state’s auto industry. He expressed concerns that the promotion of electric vehicles would harm the automotive sector, a vital component of Michigan’s economy.

The former president’s popularity has waned among Republicans in the state, with 25 lawmakers already endorsing DeSantis for president. Trump took the opportunity to criticize DeSantis, claiming he lacks personality and that his campaign is faltering.

Unsurprisingly, Trump also targeted Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a co-chairwoman of Biden’s reelection campaign. He criticized her decision to allocate state funds to a foreign company.

Michigan played a crucial role in Trump’s path to the Oval Office in 2016, only to flip back to Biden in 2020. Alongside Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, it was one of three states to undergo this shift. Trump’s campaign stop in Michigan marks the beginning of his efforts to reclaim the battleground state.

Michigan holds significant importance for Trump’s presidential aspirations. “By Trump’s calculations, he needs to win Michigan again to be the president. But he’s been very disruptive here,” said former GOP congressman Dave Trott. “Trump largely is the reason why the Michigan Republican Party is dead.”

Last year, Trump’s endorsements faced significant challenges, with many candidates echoing his baseless claims of election fraud. In November, the candidates he supported in Michigan suffered overwhelming defeats, including Tudor Dixon, who lost to Whitmer by over 10 percentage points.

Michigan Republicans held control of all levels of state government from 2011 to 2019. However, they now find themselves powerless for the first time in 40 years. This shift is particularly evident in Oakland County, which boasts the largest number of Republican voters in the state.

“If Republicans are going to carry the state, they need to win Oakland County,” emphasized Trott, who represented the county in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2019. Although Trump lost the county in both 2016 and 2020, Biden received nearly 100,000 more votes than Hillary Clinton did there, ultimately securing victory in the state.

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Trott, who initially endorsed Trump in 2016, later declared him “unfit for office.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.