Trump visits Michigan, campaigning on law and order, often speaking out against VP Harris
HOWELL, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Former President Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, taking aim at Vice President Kamala Harris and focusing on inflation, jobs, illegal immigration and law enforcement.
His visit comes on Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Trump's running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, recently held a press conference at the Shelby Township Police Department.
"[Harris] is, as you know, the most radical left person ever even thought of for a high office, certainly for the office of president. People don't know the real Kamala, but I do, and people that do what I do, they also know," Trump said on Tuesday. "She's so far left that nobody can imagine, and her real thoughts are there."
Trump stood alongside sheriff's deputies in the city of Howell and tarred Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, as the "ringleader" of a "Marxist attack on law enforcement" across the country.
"Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death," Trump said in one of many generalizations about an America under Harris. "You'll see levels of crime that you've never seen before. ... I will deliver law, order, safety and peace."
In recent weeks, Trump has sought to blunt the enthusiasm that Harris has attracted since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed her. That has involved both dark predictions about what electing Harris would mean for the country and efforts by Trump's advisers to set up events where he can try to draw specific policy contrasts. On Tuesday in Michigan, the subject was crime and public safety.
The event was the latest billed as focused on a specific issue. But on these occasions, Trump has spent considerable time instead attacking Harris personally and taking shots at Biden. In excerpts released before his speech, Trump's campaign said he would call for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers; he did not mention that during his remarks.
Trump also mentioned the DNC, where Biden, along with First Lady Jill Biden and Hilary Clinton, spoke on first day of the convention.
"I watched last night in amazement as they tried to pretend that everything was great, the crime was great, the border was great. There wasn't a problem at all. No inflation, no nothing," Trump said.
Trump making such claims, surrounded by supportive law enforcement officers, stood in stark contrast to the Democrats' convention. Speaker after speaker found ways Monday night in Chicago to remind Americans that Trump is the first former president ever convicted of felony crimes, has been found civilly liable for sexual assault, and still faces multiple indictments, including for his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden.
Ahead of Tuesday's event, Harris' campaign fired at Trump, saying, "The racists and white supremacists who marched in Trump's name last month in Howell have all watched him praise Hitler, defend neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, and tell far-right extremists to 'stand back and stand by.' Trump's actions have encouraged them, and Michiganders can expect more of the same when he comes to town next week. But voters here support leaders like Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who are focused on bringing us together, and we'll continue working to stop Trump and his far-right extremist allies who promote division, hate, and violence."
Michigan sheriff warns of "dirtbags that want to rile stuff up" ahead of Trump's visit
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy shared details ahead of Trump's visit and asked residents to be respectful as he addressed the white supremacist demonstrations that occurred in the city last month.
In a video posted to the department's Facebook account, Murphy alluded to Trump's visit to Grand Rapids in July, when white supremacists held demonstrations in Howell, with some chanting "Heil Hitler" while they marched.
"Within the last month, there's been a couple of folks that have come here to cause a little bit of a stir, spew some hate speech, white supremacy crap," Murphy said. "Those folks are from out of town; those are not Livingston County people...I'm just asking us, Livingston County residents, to do what we do, and be respectful like we are. I would hope everybody would get that message, but there will be a couple of dirtbags that want to rile stuff up."
Past reporting had shed light on a troubled history in Howell, including a period of time in the '70s when Ku Klux Klan gatherings were allegedly held on the farm of KKK Grand Dragon Robert E. Miles, who, according to reports, held white supremacist rallies and was, also sentenced for a school bus bombing.
Murphy began the video by clarifying that Trump's visit, which will be held at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, is intended as a press conference, not a political event.
"There will be about 150 folks from the press here. There will be some special guests that are by invitation only, and when I say some, that number is going to be about 70. So again, it's really just a press conference; the former president is coming to address the press regarding safety and crime," he said.
"Here's really the purpose of this post: Folks tend to be very, very passionate about politics, tend to be very passionate about former President Trump, whether it's a passionate yay or a passionate nay," he added. "So, whether you plan on coming to cheer or whether you plan to jeer, I would ask this: Please, please, please be respectful. The national spotlight will be on us; I'm sure the national news will be taking some pictures of folks holding signs. We don't need the vulgar signs out there; we don't need the hate-mongering.