WARREN, Mich.—In a political rally on April 29 commemorating his first 100 days in office since reclaiming the White House, President Donald Trump touted his achievements in office so far.
Many attendees of the rally, held at Macomb Community College in Warren, were automotive workers who stand to benefit the most from his 25 percent tariff on imported cars.
“We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,” Trump told his supporters.
“After decades of politicians who destroyed Detroit to build up Beijing, you finally have a champion for workers in the White House, and instead of putting China first, I’m putting Michigan first.”
The president was upbeat and energized throughout the event, his first campaign style political rally since Inauguration Day. He spoke for around 90 minutes to the crowd, which numbered around a thousand.
Since returning to the White House as the 47th president, Trump has rolled out a raft of executive actions and sweeping policy changes. More than 135 executive orders—surpassing even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed 99 in the same time period—could make Trump’s first 100 days among the most consequential in modern U.S. history.
At the opening of his speech, he outlined his administration’s top achievements and emphasized enhanced border security, the core pillar of his 2024 campaign.
He also cited robust job creation over the first three months of his term, saying, “For the first time in memory, job gains for native-born Americans now exceed job gains for foreign workers.”
In a symbolic move, Trump chose to celebrate the crucial day in the Great Lakes State, the heart of the U.S. automotive industry, which his recent tariff policy has heavily impacted. Earlier this month, Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported vehicles to bolster domestic car manufacturing.
Macomb County, Michigan’s third largest county, was a major contributor to Trump’s victory in Michigan. Trump won Michigan by 1.4 percent, flipping a key swing state that President Joe Biden had carried by 2.8 percent in 2020.
For his supporters, these first 100 days mark a bold return to American strength and values. His critics, however, argue the administration’s rapid changes constitute executive overreach.
During his speech, Trump took aim at pollsters, saying “they do these polls where they interview far more Democrats than Republicans.”
Enthusiasm About Tariffs
The pro-manufacturing sentiment in Macomb county, which sits just north of Detroit, was evident at the event. The venue where Trump spoke was adorned with signs reading, “The American Dream Is Back,” “Golden Age,” and “100 Days of Greatness.” The crowd was enthusiastic about the potential impact that the tariffs could have on jobs and manufacturing in the region.Macomb County is a proudly blue collar area, Brian Pannebecker, a 20-year veteran of the United Auto Workers (UAW), told NTD TV.
“I think the people of Macomb County, which is a blue collar, working-class area, typify the people Donald Trump is fighting for as president: blue collar, hardworking, middle-class people who get up every day and do the hard jobs. They may not have college degrees, but they get up every day and work hard to support their families,” Pannebecker said.
Douglas King, a nearly 30-year veteran at the Stellantis factory in Michigan, was one of the 20 UAW members invited to the White House on April 2, when Trump announced broad tariffs on nearly every trade partner of the United States.
In comments to The Epoch Times, King referenced reports that Stellantis had been moving some production overseas to lower labor costs over the past few years.
“They were on record saying that they wanted to do 80 percent of their manufacturing in low-cost countries that would have just eliminated the jobs here,” King said. “These tariffs will put an absolute stop to that.”
Kim Fenner, who’s also worked at Stellantis for around three decades, echoed the sentiment.
“I think that the tariffs are going to bring more jobs,” she said. She said she’s hopeful that some local plants which had been downsized or shut down entirely might increase operations again soon.
Pannebecker said that auto workers are largely aligned with Trump on the issue.
Asked how they had responded to the issue, he said, “They’re very excited, and the comments I’ve heard from other auto workers are very positive. Of course, not everyone understands them, not everyone is comfortable with them, but the vast majority of the auto workers support Donald Trump. They trust him.”
Isaiah Goddard, a UAW member at Ford Motor Company, said the strong support from Michigan’s auto workers played a key role in helping Trump win the state.
“We had his back, and he won Michigan,” Goddard told The Epoch Times. “Trump is excited to be here. He really loves it here.”
‘A Microcosm of America’
During his visit, the president first delivered remarks to the Michigan National Guard at Selfridge Air National Guard Base before heading to the Macomb County Community College.“Macomb County is a microcosm of America, and it’s always been a place where people are willing to give leaders of both parties a chance, and I think that’s important,” Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, told The Epoch Times.
Hertel criticized Trump for what he said was the president’s failure to keep his promises to the American people.
“The problem Trump has is that he broke a bunch of promises to the people here,” Hertel said. “He promised them lower prices, he promised them that their retirement accounts would be flush, he promised them a better economy for America; that’s not actually happening right now.”
Although inflation softened in March due to declining gas prices, rising concerns about the economy, especially the impact of the tariffs, are fueling anxiety and undermining consumer confidence, according to some analysts. Trump’s tariffs have sparked stock market volatility, erasing trillions of dollars in market value and alarming millions who saw their retirement savings shrink.
“He’s got a lot of explaining [to do] to the people of this county,” Hertel said. “I hope he'll see that pain while he’s here.”
Hertel on April 29 held a roundtable with local residents and small business owners, who voiced concerns about Trump’s policies on immigration, tariffs, and tax cuts.
Among the participants was Diane Young, a financial planner who works closely with families and small businesses. While she acknowledged that tariffs can be a valuable negotiating tool, especially with U.S. rivals such as China, she criticized the current approach.
“Tariffs could be useful if done right surgically—not like a machine gun,” she told The Epoch Times.
Young said that the Trump administration’s current approach is sowing uncertainty among business leaders.
“They’re just plowing through this and not giving a lot of confidence to business leaders,” she said. Even some longtime Republicans are growing uneasy, she added. “They’re very worried, too.”
