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- By Neely Bardwell
Native Vote 2024. POTTERVILLE, Mich. – Former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, made a stop in Potterville, Mich. on Thursday, August 29, and addressed a modest crowd at Alro Steel, a metals distribution facility, located 15 miles southwest of Lansing.
While Trump was in Michigan, his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (D-OH), addressed firefighters and families at the Firefighter Union Conference in Boston, Mass.
As Trump walked on stage, the song TKTK played. He stood next to the podium while the song played. He spoke with steelworkers standing on either side of him holding “TRUMP, VANCE” and “DRILL, Baby, DRILL!” posters and dressed in hard hats and fluorescent safety vests.
Referring to his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris and 2024 Democratic Presidential Nominee, as “Comrade Kamala”–while pronouncing her name incorrectly– Trump promised attendees that he will “fix the economic crisis” he claims was brought by Harris herself.
“Kamala has made middle-class life unaffordable and unlivable, and I'm going to make America affordable again. In addition to making it great again, we're going to make it affordable again, and that's going to be starting on day one.”
Trump called out U.S. Rep. Lisa Mcclain (R-MI) to commend her work, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is running against Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin. Both were in attendance as part of the audience as well as several other high profile Trump supporters.
Trump invited Auto Workers for Trump Organization leader Brian Pannebecker on stage from the audience to give brief remarks.
“Chrysler and General Motors have already gone bankrupt once, but if we allow electric vehicle mandates to be put on this industry by the federal government, they're going out of business again. We got to fight against that, and this guy standing right here is the only person who will do it,” said Pannebecker.
This visit comes after media reports that the Trump campaign violated federal law when he filmed a “political ad” at Arlington National Cemetery Monday during a wreath-laying ceremony for the 13 service members killed during the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. A cemetery employee also said she was assaulted by a member of Trump’s team.
The U.S. Army issued a statement to the media saying participants visiting Arlington were made aware of the federal laws prohibiting political activities in the cemetery and an Arlington employee “who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”
Trump told the crowd in Michigan that the families of the deceased asked him to come to the ceremony and asked him to take pictures with them over the graves of those killed.
“Last night, I read that I was using the site to politic, that I used it to politic. This all comes out of Washington, just like all of these prosecutors come out of Washington. They all come out. They send their prosecutors into the DA’s office. They send them into the attorney general’s office. These are bad people we’re dealing with,” Trump said. “They ask me to have a picture, and they say I was campaigning … The one thing I get is plenty of publicity. I don’t need that. I don’t need the publicity.”
Trump continued his crusade against Harris, attacking her for the current state of the economy.
"Kamala cast the deciding votes that caused the worst inflation in American history ... costing the typical family $28,000. Under her policies, household wealth has plummeted by $33,000/family. The cost of a monthly mortgage has tripled."
The U.S. economy continues to show signs of strength, growing faster in the second quarter than first reported, with the gross domestic product (GDP) at 3%, up from an initial estimate of 2.8%. Inflation fell to 2.9% in July, down from over 9% during the pandemic. However, this is still above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
"Kamala is promising communist-style price controls, free taxpayer funded health care for all illegal aliens, mass amnesty, and citizenship ... She wants to give citizenship to people who have come here illegally."
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