WARREN — On the eve of Election Day, Donald Trump Jr. said Michigan residents could change the deceptive nature of politics by voting for his father, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, for president of the United States in a stop in the state.
More than 100 supporters attended the event, which was held at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren, Mich., including Republican candidates for state senator and Rob Steele, Michigan Republican National Committeeman, who introduced Trump Jr. at the event.
In his remarks, Trump Jr. aimed to appeal to the predominantly Eastern European crowd by citing his Czechoslovakian roots. He also focused on weaknesses he saw in the Barack Obama administration, and saying an “outsider” like his father is the right person to solve them. Before introducing Trump Jr. to the crowd, Steele emphasized the same sentiment on the effectiveness of outsiders.
“Donald Trump is a do-er, and there is nothing a politician can’t stand more than a do-er,” Trump Jr. said. “(Politicians are) talkers. They do nothing, they’re only professional at getting elected.”
Trump Jr.’s visit was among many rallies taking place in Michigan in the lead in to the election, which has grown in potential significance in the election rapidly in the past few months. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton currently leads Trump by about 3 points according to RealClearPolitics. Also on Monday, Trump and Hillary Clinton visited Grand Rapids, while Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, accompanied President Barack Obama to the University of Michigan.
At the Warren event, Trump Jr. contrasted Clinton with his father, saying that Trump’s career doesn’t rely on political involvement, making his motives to run altruistic. Trump Jr. also charged that Clinton didn’t have the qualifications necessary for presidency.
“They’re worth $250 million, but what have they created?” he asked. “What business? I’m not aware of any. Who have they hired? I’m not aware of anyone other than a couple lobbyists and people who have scrubbed servers.”
He also said not enough attention is being placed on America’s problems — rather, he said too much focus is instead on political correctness and aid that goes toward foreign countries.
“I watch reporters talking about how we should be more concerned about the feelings of people from countries that hate us,” he said. “People from countries that can’t stand our freedoms. People that hate every aspect of us.”
Trump Jr. also touched on what he characterized as failures of the Obama administration, with a particular emphasis on the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile Obama drew an estimated crowd of 9,000 to the University of Michigan on Monday, where he emphasized the success of his legacy and the importance of its continuation.
“Affordable health care sounds great on paper,” Trump Jr. said. “When you get your headline or your tweet of 140 characters or less that’s fine. But really we have this 20,000-page document that no one has really read.”
Given that Trump is better known as a businessman than a politician, Ed Holowchak, a resident of St. Clair Shores, Mich., said he found Trump’s decision to run for presidency to be selfless.
“He’s an outsider, not a politician,” Holowchak said. “He doesn’t have to do this. He’s doing this just because he loves his country. When have we ever had that before?”
Royal Oak resident Mary Tzianis cited the repeal of the ACA as her main incentive to vote for Trump.
“I have a young son with autism, so his care is very expensive for our family,” Tzianis said. “If Hillary gets into office, it’s going to put us in a near-homeless state because we won’t be able to afford our son’s care.”
For many who attended the event, the policies at hand were more important than the perceived character traits of the candidates.
“They try to attack Trump’s character, but they can never attack what his plans are. They’re just going by these tiny character things, but the man has got a plan,” Tzianis said.