After former President Donald Trump was flamed for bashing Detroit in a campaign speech earlir this month — in Detroit, no less — he let the city have it again in another address Friday night — in Michigan.
He was merely telling the truth, Trump insisted at a campaign rally in Traverse City in the northern part of the state, where his controversial comments about Detroit have fallen flat big time.
Trump insisted he was not disparaging the Motor City — but simply "stating the facts."
Earlier this month he blasted Detroit as a "mess," and complained that it's more of a third-world city than many places in China.
Friday he called the slam a "little knock."
"When I sort of gave it a little knock, I said 'Let's face it. We've been ripped in Detroit. We've got to make Detroit.' They said, 'he was disparaging,'" Trump told a quiet crowd. "I'm not disparaging. I'm telling you the facts."
He claimed if elected he'll create "so many jobs your head will spin," in the city and across the state, which is a key battleground in the election. Economists, however, have said Trump's proposed tariffs would likely trigger a trade war which could threaten some 40 million jobs.
Trump falsely claimed at the rally that jobs have been lost during President Joe Biden's administration, when in fact, more than 16 million new nonfarm jobs have been created.
Many streamed out of the venue where Trump was scheduled to appear, the Detroit Free Press reported, after he was three hours late to the rally because he was taping a program with right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan in Texas.
Detroit has made a major economic turnaround after declaring bankruptcy in 2013, and Trump was roundly attacked for his criticisms of a feisty American city. One wit on social media goofed that while Detroit only delcared bankruptcy once, Trump has declared bankruptcy six times.
"Keep Detroit out of your mouth," Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Trump.
"Detroit is the epitome of 'grit,' defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand. So keep Detroit out of your mouth. And you better believe Detroiters won't forget this in November," she posted on X.
Detroit is the epitome of “grit,” defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand.
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) October 10, 2024
So keep Detroit out of your mouth. And you better believe Detroiters won’t forget this in… https://t.co/Q5VHuCfbkd
Kamala Harris's campaign capitalized on the Trump controversy with a powerful ad featuring proud Detroiters who have fought their way back from the brink.
"We rebuilt ourselves, we look out for each other, we got our hands dirty and put in the work," notes the video's narrator. "This guy," it adds, showing Trump on a golf course, "he don't know anything about that."
It adds: "We are a city of winners, of up-and-comers, of builders ... What "Donald Trump doesn't understand — or care to learn — when he says, the 'whole country will end up like Detroit if she's [Kamala Harris] your president,' he should be so goddamn lucky," declares the irritated narrator.
