Trump addresses National Guard conference in Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) — Former President Donald Trump spoke in Detroit on Monday to thousands of members of the National Guard.
He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and laid out his plans for the military if reelected.
Trump spoke at the National Guard Association of the United States General Conference and Exhibition at Huntington Place. He said as president, he would increase military pay and veteran support, build an iron dome in the U.S. and create a Space Force National Guard.
"I'm in this fight to defeat the corrupt political class in Washington that's hurting you very badly, whether we know it or not, and to reclaim America's future as a free and sovereign nation ruled by the American people. When I'm back in the White House, we will expel the warmongers and profiteers and take over our government. And we will restore world peace, and it will be peace through strength," Trump said to the crowd.
The theme of this year's National Guard conference was "Built to Defend America."
Trump's visit Monday came three years after the suicide bombing in Afghanistan, which killed 13 service members and more than 100 Afghans. Trump criticized Harris' foreign policy and the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"We'll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity, to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day. You know you have to fire people; you have to fire people when they do a bad job. We never fire anybody," Trump said.
Brig. Gen. Jackie Huber of the North Dakota National Guard said the conference provided a great opportunity for them to hear how a potential president could impact the military.
"When we can hear from what's happening in our world, and the opinions of possible executives, senior leadership out there, absolutely. And to maybe get a little glimpse of what our future might look like," Huber said.
"They choose the Secretary of Defense and policies, it's very important," said Chief Warrant Officer Samuel Bowman, of the Arizona Army National Guard. "It shows their support for the National Guard. And we see that Trump is here, and not the other candidate."
Organizers of the event said Harris was also invited to speak at the conference. Harris' campaign issued the following statement after Trump's visit on Monday:
"Trump cannot be trusted to keep us safe, but Vice President Harris is a proven leader on the world stage and will use her expertise to ensure America's security, defeat our adversaries, and stand with our allies around the world."
Trump has spent a lot of time in Michigan, and he's not leaving just yet. He will speak again in Potterville on Thursday, while his running, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, travels to Big Rapids on Tuesday.