Donald Trump on Thursday addressed business leaders in Detroit, where he insulted their city and big companies.
“You want to know the truth?” Trump told members of the Detroit Economic Club as he painted a picture of what his opponent would do to America. “It’ll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president. You’re gonna have a mess on your hands.”
Audience members clapped when Trump said he wouldn’t allow Kamala Harris to make the rest of the country mirror their hometown, suggesting that, at least among his fans, Trump’s comments weren’t too off base.
The former president has insulted Democratic-leaning urban areas before, especially by claiming they are hotspots of voter fraud. But three weeks before the election in a crucial swing state, the derision of the city was shocking.
Some, like Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar, quickly hit back.
“I represent Detroit in Congress,” he posted on X. “Detroit is a city with a booming economy, diverse culture, and some of the best people in America. Donald Trump: keep Detroit and our people out of your mouth. We will elect Kamala Harris.”
Trump and Harris are locked in a razor-thin race in the state, with Harris just slightly ahead in the polls. The Great Lakes is part of the “blue wall,” which will be key to winning the presidency. The former president won the state by a tiny margin in 2016, but lost in 2020.
On Thursday, Trump sought to change that narrative by positioning himself as Detroit’s savior—if it would only vote for him. In particularly brutal language, he emphasized that he would be the one to ensure the U.S. makes better trade deals to rein in big, powerful companies “outside of our world.”
“We allowed them to come in and raid and rape our country,” Trump said, mockingly adding, “Oh, he used the word rape.’ That’s right, I used the word rape.”
For emphasis he repeated, “They RAPED our country.”
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