Trump Jr.: Democrats too radical to represent mainstream US

Davison — Donald Trump Jr. said during a Saturday election rally the Democratic Party has become too radical to represent mainstream America.

He said the party is more concerned with LGBTQ groups than blue-collar workers, the president's oldest son said.

“They're more concerned about the 9,276 genders,” he said. “I can't list them all. I don't have enough time and they don't even know which ones they are. There's a few more since I started speaking a few minutes ago.”

Trump spoke before 800 people on a lot beside Williams Gun Sight Company. About one-fourth of the crowd wore masks, which were distributed at the entrance. 

Trump campaigned in Genesee County, a traditional Democratic stronghold where Republicans have been making gains since 2014. Vice President Mike Pence campaigned at Flint's airport on Wednesday, while Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made an appearance earlier this month in Davison for a state representative whose seat is considered vulnerable.

Trump also criticized Whitmer and other Democratic governors for their response to COVID-19, saying they are over-reacting to the disease and hurting the economy.

“Shutting down the country is sure as hell not gonna help it. It’s gonna destroy it,” he said. “It’s gonna take what's left of the economy that Donald Trump created and run it into the ground.”

He said the country wouldn’t be able to survive another shutdown.

“There are businesses, livelihoods at stake,” he said. “There’s a point of no return. Once they shut down, they’re never reopening.”

Trump also criticized Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, for supporting the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying the accord sent American jobs to other countries.

“It killed your job. It killed your companies,” he said. “It killed our manufacturing sector. It took your American dream and shifted it to China.”

Ted Nugent, the conservative rocker, also spoke to the crowd and exhorted people to vote. The biggest threat to Michigan isn’t Whitmer, Biden or former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, he said. The biggest threat is apathy, he said.

“If we can’t get 10 times this many working-hard, playing-hard s***-kickers to vote for Donald Trump, Gretchen Whitmer would like to thank you,” Nugent said as the crowd booed the mention of Whitmer’s name.

Nugent, an avid hunter, also said the Second Amendment is under attack and needed to be defended by voting for Trump.

He said people shouldn’t need to file documents with the government to own guns. He said such paperwork isn’t required to practice the First Amendment so he questioned why it is needed for the Second Amendment.

“We have to save the soul of America,” he said. “It’s not between ‘Jeez, I like some of the Republican ideas a little bit better than some of the Democrat ideas.' Now it’s freedom versus Marxism.”

Nugent played several songs, including the National Anthem, and had the crowd — many of whom were dressed in hunting gear — laughing at various comments.

“Anyone in the back want to debate me? I haven’t had lunch and I’d like to eat a face,” he said. “We’re so good I can hardly stand myself.”