Former President Donald Trump marked his first 100 days in office with a boisterous, campaign-style rally. The event was held at the MAC (Michigan Mobility Action Plan) sports and expo center in Warren, Michigan near Detroit. The Council’s event drew an enthusiastic standing room only crowd that filled half the venue. Foreign policy Trump got the audience hyped by hitting a bunch of red-meat topics—like his skyrocketing approval numbers—home.
In his almost 90-minute palette cleansing speech, Trump’s unvarnished venom was directed at “communist radical left judges” who’ve turned on him. He defiantly announced, “Not even death can stop me.” Unbothered, of course, by the actual scrutiny that came his way, since he’s found himself with the lowest 100-day approval rating in generations. This milestone hasn’t inspired the excitement you might expect for such a thing from a sitting president. It’s another important milestone, but the overall response has been surprisingly muted.
He used the rally to blame anyone else besides himself for his mishandling of the economy, specifically going after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. He remarked, “I have a Fed person who’s not really doing a good job, but I won’t say that,” emphasizing his belief that he knows more about interest rates than Powell.
During his speech, Trump stepped on 47 landmines by declaring Michigan Republican Representative John James a lunatic. Shockingly, given that just a year prior Trump had endorsed James due to his impeachment record. Audience response These types of comments generated some of the most divided responses from summit attendees and remote watchers.
The former president touted his business past with great aplomb. Read More Trump Tells Americans He Used Bankruptcy Law Six Times to Save His Failing Businesses. This saved and rescued recent addition to his success and resilience narrative fame resilience added more unique layer.
On foreign relations, Trump expressed his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the ongoing war in Ukraine. When asked about Putin’s intentions during an interview with ABC News’ Terry Moran, Trump responded, “I think he does.” He claimed that his unique leverage held Putin back from attempting to “take over the entire country.” Clearly, without his strong intervention the results would have been extremely dire.
Between inflammatory attacks, Trump lavished accolades on many of the supporters who filled the arena. In the group was the leader of founded the group Blacks for Trump, a former member of a violent doomsday cult. There was a retired autoworker chosen to have once peddled David Duke’s racial propaganda paper. This selection of invitees was particularly controversial because of the long history of racism associated with Duke.
Trump chose Michigan for this rally as a nod to its critical role in his victory over then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the previous election. He stated, “We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country!” Many political analysts dispute this claim.
Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, pummeled Trump’s rally performance. He stated, “Trump’s pathetic display tonight will do nothing to help the families he started screwing over 100 days ago.” He added that “Michiganders and the rest of the country see right through Trump,” reflecting the discontent many feel towards Trump’s leadership.
The ex-president’s administration is further supporting a nascent charter school in Oklahoma. This new school hopes to offer these virtual options from kindergarten all the way through high school graduation.
As Trump’s last rally finished up, he doubled down on the loyalty of his supporters and the dangerousness of his agenda. His speech might have been short on clarity and cohesion but was surely long on his strong brand of salt-of-the-earth politics and campaigning.