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    • Trump speaks in Grand Rapids hours before polls open in Michigan
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    Trump speaks in Grand Rapids hours before polls open in Michigan

    Umito Posted on

    Grand Rapids — Former President Donald Trump is on stage in downtown Grand Rapids, ushering in Election Day with a late-night-turned-early-morning rally before a crowd of supporters in the city that has become the traditional final stop for his three presidential campaigns.

    A crowd cheered when Trump appeared in the Republican stronghold of West Michigan shortly after midnight on Tuesday. His last campaign stops were in 2016, when he won Michigan, and in 2020, when Trump lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden, both took place in Grand Rapids.

    As a swing state, Michigan has become a central focus in the 2024 presidential election. Republican nominee Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as well as their Democratic rivals, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made frequent stops in Michigan in the final days of the campaign.

    Walz had to rally his supporters to another gathering late Monday evening at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit, a few hours after Vance rallied Trump supporters in Flint. Harris visited Michigan State University in Detroit, Pontiac and East Lansing on Sunday. Trump was last in Michigan on Friday, seeking votes in Dearborn and Warren.

    More: Michigan could be decided by these 10 counties on Election Day

    Kris Cox, 29, of Holland, said he was confident voters in swing states would carry Trump to a second term. He attended Trump’s rally Monday night to show his support ahead of what he envisions as a certain Trump victory.

    Cox predicted that Michigan’s Muslim residents would help Trump secure Michigan’s 15 electoral votes en route to the White House. Israel’s war in Gaza threatens voters in Muslim and Arab American communities, who have been flooded with attention from both campaigns. Some community leaders supported Harris, others Trump. Third-party candidates are also making inroads.

    “The Muslim community has found a home with Donald Trump, which I think is really encouraging,” Cox said. “We’ve even seen Rashida Tlaib refuse to support Kamala, so I think that community is finding a voice within the Republican Party. »

    Tlaib spoke at a United Auto Workers union rally in Detroit on Friday in favor of low-cost Michigan Democratic candidates, but did not support Harris during her speech.

    More: How the war in Gaza is influencing the votes of Metro Detroit’s Arab-American community

    Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi was among the group of Michigan supporters who spoke before Trump arrived. He said he’s heard from business owners and new immigrants in his community who support Trump.

    Bazzi, who has spoken at other Trump campaign stops, said people encouraged him not to support Trump out of fear that he would lose his upcoming mayoral race in suburban Detroit.

    “I told them I would rather lose my election than see a bunch of warmongers win the election,” Bazzi said.

    A video of Trump played at Van Andel Arena as the crowd awaited his arrival. In it, Trump encouraged them to vote “by any means possible,” including by mail or in-person early voting.

    He also encouraged voters to “keep (their) eyes open because these people want to cheat and they cheat,” echoing the debunked claims he continues to make about the 2020 election results and question the legitimacy of future results.

    There was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, according to repeated investigations by the Michigan Legislature, then with a Republican majority, and federal prosecutors.

    Earlier in the day, Harris’ campaign held a news conference in Grand Rapids with former Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton of St. Joseph and a group of prominent Michigan Democrats encouraging residents to vote for Harris.

    Upton supported Harris for president last month. He joined U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten and Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, all Democrats, at the news conference in Grand Rapids.

    “I’ve been a conservative my whole life,” Upton said. “I have never voted for a Democrat for president, until now. (Vice President) Harris and I – we disagree on many issues. But I know that she is strong, that she is a committed public servant, that she is intelligent, and that she has the best interests of the American people at heart. “She embodies the type of leadership we need in the Oval Office today to solve the nation’s problems.”

    More than 3 million votes already cast

    Although Election Day officially begins Tuesday morning, nearly 44% of registered voters in Michigan have already cast their ballots, according to the Michigan Secretary of State. Approximately 1.2 million people voted at in-person early voting sites in this election, the first presidential election in which this is permitted, and an additional 1.98 million people voted by mail.

    More: Detroit tabulates 95% of absentee ballots received before Election Day

    Danny Earl, 22, of Grand Rapids, is one of those early voters. He said he followed the advice of the anti-abortion group Right to Life of Michigan and voted in person before Election Day.

    “I thought it was good to get out, and if people see more people getting out early, it might encourage them to get out too,” Earl said.

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    Umito
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