Trump sets rally for key Michigan swing county next week
Jakkar AimeryFormer President Donald Trump is slated to make a stop in Saginaw County next week, his third campaign visit in Michigan in the 2024 election year.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is set to deliver remarks at 6 p.m. May 1 at a rally in Freeland, about 14 miles northwest of Saginaw, according to a news release announcing the event Wednesday. Saginaw County is considered a swing county in Michigan and was the site of a September 2020 campaign visit by Trump.
The planned campaign visit takes place at Avflight Saginaw, 8430 Garfield Road, Hangar 4, Trump's campaign said. The former president has made a habit of conducting campaign events at airports.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, barely edged out Trump in Saginaw County in 2020. Biden captured the county 49.37%-49.08%, a margin of 303 votes.
The former president's return to the Great Lakes State will come nearly a month after his stop in Grand Rapids on April 2. Trump held a press event where he said a spike in crossings at the southern border was "country changing."
More: Trump in Michigan labels flow of immigrants at southern border 'country changing'
He also underscored his past description of illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes as "animals," calling one individual a "monster," referring to Brandon Ortiz-Vite, the man accused in the March 22 slaying of Ruby Garcia, 25, of Grand Rapids.
Ortiz-Vite, a Mexican national, allegedly shot her and dumped her body on the side of U.S.-131, just north of downtown Grand Rapids. He previously was deported when Trump was president, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Michigan, a swing state, is expected to be key focus for Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden, who won the state in 2020 by nearly 3 percentage points, 51%-48%, or 154,000 votes. Trump won Michigan in 2016 by two-tenths of a point or 10,703 votes.
Doors to the rally open at 2 p.m. and registration is required. Attendees may register up to two tickets per mobile number per event. All tickets are subject to first-come, first-serve basis, Trump's campaign said.
jaimery@detroitnews.com