Trump says push for electric vehicles will mean 'decimation' for Michigan's industry

Novi — Former President Donald Trump returned Sunday night to Michigan, where he told a crowd of Oakland County Republicans that the push to promote electric vehicles would mean the "decimation" of the state's auto industry.

"It’s going to be at a level that people can’t even imagine," said Trump during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, drawing a stark contrast with Democratic leaders in Michigan who've provided hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives to lure automobile battery factories in recent months.

His criticisms of electric vehicles highlighted an hour-long speech at the Oakland County Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner. The event included a brief power outage because of storms, an endorsement of Trump by U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, and the former president's description of the 2024 election as "the final battle."

Trump said the "maniacal push" for electric vehicles would kill auto jobs in the United States, and he joked about the cars' mileage range, saying they weren't able to travel far and would be a boon for China and tow truck companies.

"If somebody wants an electric car, I’m all for it. But you should be able to have a choice,” Trump told the crowd.

Electric vehicles aren't required to be purchased, but state and federal regulators have been laying the ground to accommodate more electric cars and trucks in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change. The Detroit Three and other automakers have been trimming the number of gas-powered vehicles in their lineups and have invested billions of dollars to bolster their electric vehicle offerings.

President Joe Biden's administration has pushed to rapidly ramp up electric vehicle production in an attempt to compete with China, which currently dominates the global EV market.

Trump came back to Michigan on Sunday as criminal probes loomed over his appearance. Oakland County Republicans presented him with a "Man of the Decade" award, and he spoke before a crowd of about 2,500 attendees, according to the Oakland County Republican Party.

The former president targeted Democrat Biden and his top competitor for the GOP nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump repeated his latest nickname for DeSantis, calling him "Ron DeSanctimonious."

Trump argued that he fought harder than any president for Michigan during his four-year term in office.

“Sadly, none has betrayed Michigan more than crooked Joe Biden," Trump told the crowd. "He betrayed your state. ... He’s betrayed your state because he’s allowing people to take away your jobs."

The event marked the first time Trump has visited Michigan since launching his third campaign for the White House late last year.

Jousting over jobs

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has touted the need for Michigan to attract jobs related to manufacturing electric vehicles. The state has secured a series of projects, including a $7 billion investment from General Motors Co. for electric vehicle and battery production at four Michigan sites. Michigan's unemployment rate of 3.7% remains low compared with historical patterns.

Whitmer has said switching to electric vehicles will save families money over the lifetime of the vehicle, support tens of thousands of well-paying auto jobs in Michigan and help "safeguard clean air and water for future generations."

Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said Trump was "living in an alternate reality."

"The truth is, thanks to the leadership of Gov. Whitmer and our Democratic majority in the Legislature, Michigan is leading the way in the development of electric vehicles, and thousands of good-paying union jobs are being created for Michiganders," Barnes said.

But Trump countered on Sunday, contending the materials for the vehicles come from China and the supply chain is "a disaster."

The flood of electric vehicles rolling out in the next few years will have many fewer parts and assemblies than today's gas-powered cars and trucks, resulting in fewer jobs.

Although conventional drivetrains have as many as 2,000 parts, electric drivetrains can have fewer than 20. The prospect caused enough worry in 2019 that the United Auto Workers union issued a nearly 40-page report on the "implications" of electric vehicles.

The UAW has also called on Biden to push for a "just transition" to electric vehicles with "top wages" and has so far refrained from joining other unions in endorsing his presidential reelection campaign.

"The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers," Shawn Fain, the union's president, wrote in the letter to union employees in recent weeks. "The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom. We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments."

The race ahead

In 2024, Trump hopes to challenge Biden, the incumbent Democrat. However, a large field of GOP contenders has emerged, including DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

The Detroit News reported Friday most Michigan Republican lawmakers haven't endorsed Trump's third bid for the presidency. Only three have come out in support of Trump so far, according to an analysis of interviews and announcements that covered the positions of 61 of the 72 Republican lawmakers in the state Legislature.

Trump won Michigan in 2016, when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, by 10,704 votes or about two-tenths of a percentage point. But in 2020, he lost the state to Biden by 154,000 votes or about 3 percentage points.

His most vocal supporters in the state argued Sunday that frustration with Biden and what they see as a move to the left by Democrats provide a political opportunity for the former president. State Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, said issues like the handling of sexually explicit materials in libraries were "hitting home with Americans."

Trump is "determined" to win Michigan again in 2024, said Meshawn Maddock, Matt Maddock's wife and the former co-chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party.

“I think it’s going to be 2016 all over again," Meshawn Maddock predicted. "This campaign is going to be a lot like it was then. It’s going to be a lot more grassroots.”

Trump won the GOP nomination seven years ago among a crowded field of candidates and eventually defeated former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Bus debate

A lesser-known GOP candidate for president, Perry Johnson of Michigan, had planned to host a meet-and-greet event outside the Oakland County Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner. But he tweeted Sunday afternoon that organizers had “turned away” his campaign bus and threatened to call the police.

“This is an Oakland GOP event, and we sponsored the event to have the bus here. It’s not a Trump event. I’m calling on the OCRP and Donald Trump to let this bus in,” Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson’s campaign eventually parked the bus across the street from the Suburban Collection Showplace. At one point, a Novi police officer could be seen knocking on the bus door and chatting with someone inside.

Vance Patrick, chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party, said there were significant logistics that went into hosting an event like Sunday’s. One piece of planning was having a list of authorized vehicles over a certain size or commercial nature, which was finalized this past Friday, he said.

“The Perry Johnson campaign never expressed to the appropriate stakeholders their intent to bring a large vehicle onto the property during today's event until yesterday, which was after the deadline to finalize our list,” Patrick said.

During Sunday's event, Patrick effectively endorsed Trump from the stage, telling the crowd to vote for Trump.

'Next term in office'

Oakland County, where Trump spoke Sunday, has become a stumbling block for the GOP, which used to consider the region a stronghold. Trump lost the county, Michigan's second largest, to Biden by 14 percentage points in 2020.

Kristina Karamo, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, told The News that Sunday's event showed the political importance of Oakland County.

Karamo said she's been working "side by side" with the Republican National Committee on a two-part plan for Michigan's upcoming Republican presidential primary, which will award a portion of the state's 55 national convention delegates through a primary election on Feb. 27 but most of them through 13 congressional district caucuses on March 2.

“Now, they have an opportunity twice," Karamo said of presidential candidates hoping to win some of Michigan's delegates. "Because what the primary voters may do isn’t necessarily what the delegates are going to do. ... I think it puts Michigan in a very unique position.”

Jim Tokarski of Rochester Hills is among the Michigan Republicans hoping Trump wins the party's nomination. Tokarski was working as a volunteer outside the Suburban Collection Showplace on Sunday afternoon. His T-shirt said, “Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president.”

Tokarski echoed Trump’s past unproven claims that the 2020 election was “stolen.” In Michigan, an investigation by GOP lawmakers, a series of court rulings and dozens of audits have upheld Biden’s victory.

“He deserves to have his next term in office,” Tokarski said of Trump.

'Man of the Decade'

The Oakland County GOP has said Sunday's event was sold out and has described it as a celebration of Trump. Tickets cost $250 and up. The county party named Trump the "Man of the Decade" during the gathering.

For years, Trump has claimed that he once received Michigan's "Man of the Year" award, but fact-checkers have described the assertion as "dubious."

Former U.S. Rep. Dave Trott, an Oakland County Republican, has suggested a possible back story to the origins of the "Man of the Year" claim dates to 2013 when Trott organized the Oakland County GOP's Lincoln Day dinner in Novi and invited Trump to speak.

Trump addressed a crowd of 2,300 to 2,400 at that event in 2013, speaking for about an hour. Trump said his award on Sunday came 10 years after the last honor in Oakland County.

In a Sunday statement, Barnes, the Michigan Democratic Party chairwoman, said Trump's political agenda was "deeply out of touch with the values of Michiganders."

"Whether it’s attacking abortion rights, undermining our election or advocating for policies that hurt the middle class, Trump and his radical agenda have no place in our great state," Barnes said.

Trump's appearance came 12 days after he pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges that he mishandled classified documents. Separately, in April, he was arraigned on charges brought by New York prosecutors over allegations centering on hush money payments tied to sexual encounters.

Trump blasted the investigations during his remarks.

"They want to take away my freedom because I won't let them take away your freedom," he told the crowd.

cmauger@detroitnews.com

Staff Writer Melissa Nann Burke and the Associated Press contributed.