Trump marks his first 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan

WARREN Mich AP President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark the first days of his second term staging his largest political event since returning to the White House in a state that has been especially rocked by his steep arrangement tariffs and combative attitude toward Canada Even before he left Washington the White House declared that it planned to ease auto tariffs a move that could be especially resonate in a state that is home to several major automakers Trump is making an afternoon visit to Selfridge Air National Guard Base alongside Democratic Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer He s giving a speech to thousands of supporters at Macomb Region College north of Detroit allowing him to revel in leading a sprint to upend regime and social political and foreign guidelines norms His Republican administration s strict immigration polices have sent arrests for illegal crossings along the U S -Mexico margin plummeting and government-slashing efforts led by billionaire adviser Elon Musk have shaken Washington to its core Its protectionist import taxes imposed on America s deal partners have also sought to reorder a global economic activity that the U S built in the decades after World War II Trump has also championed sweeping expansionism refusing to rule out military intervention in Greenland and Panama suggesting that American developers could help convert the war-torn Gaza Strip into a Riviera-like resort and even suggesting annexation of Canada I run the country and the world Trump reported The Atlantic magazine in an interview He described Time of his first days I think that what I m doing is exactly what I ve campaigned on But only about in Americans approve of how Trump is handling the presidency and his ratings on the business activity and commerce are lower than that Additionally of U S adults approve of Trump s immigration policies with about half of Americans saying he has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the country illegally Just of Americans meanwhile have a favorable view of Musk the Tesla CEO and world s richest person and about half believe the administration has gone too far in working to pare back the authorities workforce The bottom line for the first hundred days is lots of damage being done to the fundamentals of our regime announced Max Stier founding president and CEO of the Partnership for Community Facility a nonprofit dedicated to better leadership Michigan was one of the battleground states Trump flipped from the Democratic column But it s also been deeply affected by his tariffs including on new imported cars and auto parts Michigan s unemployment rate has risen for three straight months including jumping from March to reach according to state facts That s among the highest in the nation far exceeding the national average of Automaker Stellantis halted production at plants in Canada and Mexico after Trump communicated a tariff on imported vehicles temporarily laying off U S employees Industry groups have separately urged the White House to scrap plans for tariffs on imported auto parts warning that doing so would raise prices on cars and could trigger layoffs and bankruptcy That seemingly would make the state an odd choice for Trump to hail his own accomplishments I m not sure that he is at all interested in doing the smart thing disclosed Bernie Porn a longtime Michigan pollster He is what I would call an in-your-face president This is what I m going to do ' In a potentially major guidelines change however White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained Tuesday morning that Trump would sign an executive order relaxing selected of his tariffs on cars and auto parts Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent nonetheless noted the goal remained enabling automakers to create more domestic manufacturing jobs Bessent mentioned Trump is concerned with jobs of the future not of the past Carolyn Martz a Royal Oak Michigan resident was outside the Trump rally and reported she supports the president s tariffs She declared her husband is an auto technician and has noted how parts come from China and elsewhere overseas I d like to see more stuff made in America by Americans for Americans the -year-old Martz declared adding that tariffs could stimulate U S manufacturing If we have to eat more in the beginning with higher prices that might just be part of it she reported The president is also visiting Selfridge which was established after the U S entered World War I in and the public college campus in Warren Both are near the Canadian boundary and home to a multitude of people with deep business and personal ties to that country Michigan will be key for Republicans in as their party tries to pick up a Senate seat in the state for the first time in decades and regain control of the governor s office with Whitmer term-limited Multiple competitive House races will also be on the midterm ballot along with control of the state legislature Typically presidents use the -day mark to launch multiple rallies But Trump is doing only the Michigan stop Administration officers say Trump is at his majority effective staying at the White House having meetings and speaking to reporters nearly every day Indeed the speech in Macomb County will be one of the sparse large political crowds he s addressed since Inauguration Day on Jan The exceptions have been flying preponderance weekends to golf in Florida or attend sporting events including the Super Bowl and the Daytona where Trump relished the crowds but didn t speak to them The limited trip to see supporters is a major departure from his first term when Trump held a series of rallies before celebrating days in office with a Pennsylvania speech in Also in the spotlight is Whitmer who is frequently mentioned as a future presidential candidate Long a Trump critic Whitmer has sought to find common ground with the president lately visiting him at the White House and discussing the future of Selfridge specifically The governor is concerned about the A- aircraft stationed at the base being phased out which could lead to the base closing But Trump assured reporters before leaving the White House that he d make sure the base wouldn t close We re going to keep it open the president reported