DETROIT – Former President Donald Trump took a swipe at the city of Detroit while delivering a speech in front of the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday.
Trump spoke for more than an hour, covering a wide range of topics, including the automotive industry and manufacturing.
Trump also spent plenty of time going after his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, with less than a month before election day. In one comment, he took aim at the city itself.
“The the whole country is going to be like, you want to know the truth? It’ll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit. you’re going to have a mess on your hands.”
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan replied to the comment on Twitter/X:
Detroit just hosted the largest NFL Draft in history, the Tigers are back in the playoffs, the Lions are headed to the Super Bowl, crime is down and our population is growing. Lots of cities should be like Detroit. And we did it all without Trump’s help.
— Mayor Mike Duggan (@MayorMikeDuggan) October 10, 2024
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted: “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.”
Other local officials chimed in on Twitter/X, including Michigan U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, who said, “I represent Detroit in Congress. Detroit is a city with a booming economy, diverse culture, and some of the best people in America.”
Michigan State Senator Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow said, “As a proud elected representative of tens of thousands of Detroiters: F*** this guy. Don’t come back.”
Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate posted a response:
Donald Trump might not remember where he is right now so here’s a quick reminder about what Detroit’s all about. This is the greatest city in the country & we’ve bounced back after Trump killed our jobs, closed our businesses, & tried to throw out our votes. #Detroit threw Trump… pic.twitter.com/pvaffVa0QC
— Joe Tate (@SpeakerJoeTate) October 10, 2024
Trump also falsely claimed that his administration had the highest job numbers during his speech in Detroit. The unemployment rate fell slightly lower under President Joe Biden — to 3.4% early last year, the lowest in a half-century, below 3.5% before the pandemic under Trump.
The Labor Department also measures the proportion of Americans with jobs, which is now at the highest in more than two decades for Americans in their prime working years. Economists look at that age group — 25 through 54 — because it filters out students and retirees.
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