Trump visits Michigan to promote economic ‘turnaround’

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square

President Donald Trump returned to Michigan on Tuesday to tout the economy and the auto industry.

During his visit, Trump spoke to the Detroit Economic Club and visited a Ford plant in Dearborn. During his speech, he praised his first year in office as an economic success – pointing to dropping inflation and gas prices.

“Who knew it was going to turn out this well,” Trump said. “After less than 12 months in office, I’m back in Michigan to report to you on the strongest and fastest economic turnaround in our country’s history.”

In his speech, the president also defended his tariff policies.

“The Trump Tariffs have delivered us trillions of dollars of new investment,” he said. “They brought hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into the United States Treasury, helped curb inflation, and helped cut the federal budget deficit by a staggering 27%.”

A number of states and businesses have challenged his authority to put those in place and that is currently under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court, with a decision expected by June.

Just before the president took the stage in Detroit, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its much-anticipated Consumer Price Index for December.

It found that consumer prices climbed 2.7% over the last year, before seasonal adjusting. Trump applauded the report’s numbers.

“Biden gave us a colossal stagflation catastrophe, but my administration has rapidly and very decisively ended that,” he said. “We have quickly achieved the exact opposite of stagflation – almost no inflation and super high growth.”

While 2026 inflation dropped significantly from 2022’s high of about 6.5%, a recent poll found that Michiganders are still feeling the effects of higher prices.

A poll conducted by WDIV and Detroit News asked voters from across the state a number of different questions, including one on what impact they think Trump’s economic policies have had on the nation’s economy.

In response to that question, 38% said “stronger,” 48% said “weaker,” and 10% said “no impact.” That could be a bellwether for Republicans going into the midterm election, especially in a swing state like Michigan which helped push Trump over the finish line to an election win in 2024.

Possibly sensing that Americans’ continued concerns about the cost of living, the president also laid out future plans to try to address that. Those plans include banning large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, capping credit card interest rates, and announcing a “healthcare affordability framework.”

Investments into the car industry was another highlight of Trump’s trip.

Michigan saw companies like Stallantis and JR Automation announce millions of dollars in investments in the state last year. On this trip, Trump stopped by a Ford factory to focus on that company’s recent growth.

“We have a great relationship with the president and his whole staff,” said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. “We couldn’t be more excited. We’re adding market share. We’re growing as a company. We’re adding jobs.”