Trump says he'll turn Michigan for GOP on Election Day
WARREN, Mich. — Buoyed by tightening polls and large crowds in Grand Rapids and Warren, the Trump campaign swept into Michigan and promised to make the reliably blue state competitive on Election Day.
Donald Trump told a crowd of several thousand people Monday that his staff told him he's even in the polls statewide.
"No Republican has won Michigan since like Reagan, and I say, I love Michigan and I see numbers and I’m up," he said at Macomb Community College here. "For all the geniuses who work for me, they said, 'You're doing well in Michigan,' and I say, 'Let's go win it.' "
Earlier in the day in Walker, Mich., Trump told an enthusiastic crowd in the Grand Rapids suburb that the U.S. could face a constitutional crisis if Hillary Clinton is elected Nov. 8. He predicted a "protracted criminal investigation and probably a criminal trial," saying "nothing will get done."
Trump's campaign, which had been badly trailing in most polls since the Oct. 7 release of an Access Hollywood video in which Trump speaks in vulgar terms about kissing and groping women without their consent, is voicing new confidence following a recent tightening in national and state polls and Friday's release of a letter from FBI Director James Comey saying an investigation into the Democratic presidential nominees handling of State Department e-mails has been reactivated.
Trump was last in Michigan on Sept. 30 for fundraisers in Detroit and Grand Rapids and a rally in Novi. But now Trump's campaign said it expects to see several big-name surrogates — perhaps members of Trump's family — coming into the state in the final week although no details were available of who would travel to Michigan or when.
Battleground state polls show Trump's path to the White House remains a challenge, and he may have to depend on traditionally blue states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to be successful. All three states have shown leads for Clinton ranging from 4 to 8 points in recent surveys, and Michigan has delivered the vote for Democrats in every presidential cycle since 1992.
Neither campaign has purchased ad time with television stations in the state, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, which tracks campaign spending. But national ad buys during network shows like the Sunday morning news shows and 60 Minutes have brought commercials into the Michigan market from both campaigns.
Trump's spoke about planks on his platform like reworking trade agreements, bolstering the nation's military and rebuilding cities.
"I am going to bring your jobs back to America," Trump said in the Grand Rapids area. "The long nightmare of jobs leaving Michigan will be coming to a very rapid end."
But he offered few specifics on how he would pay for the proposals. And he spent a big chunk of his speeches bashing Clinton and the latest controversy to hit the campaign.
"The investigation will last for years. Nothing will get done. Government will grind to a halt and our country will continue to suffer," Trump said in Warren. "Hillary's corruption is a threat to democracy, and the only way to stop is for you to show up at the polls on Nov. 8 and vote."
Ron Gordon, a retired Detroit school teacher from Oxford, Mich., who now owns a remodeling business, said he's picking his favorite of two not-so-favorites but hopes that American voters will get information from the FBI investigation into the new e-mails before Nov. 8.
"He is experienced in business and will get things done," Gordon said. "I'm a supporter of the person who I think will do the best job.
"And I've watched Hillary over the years and seen things that have gone totally against the grain," he said, citing the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi while Clinton was secretary of state. "I know that Trump has some dirt in his background, but I'm looking at the lesser of two evils basically."
Glenn Kolman, 45, and his daughter Dorothy Kolman, 17, came to the Warren rally from Fraser, Mich., dressed as "Zombies for Trump," and hoping to hear a message that would provide some answers and hope about job loss in the United States. Kolman lost his job in the dental industry when the company he worked for moved overseas and shut Michigan offices.
"We need to bring jobs back to this country," Dorothy Koman said. "When his old dental business went overseas, it was really devastating for us. We had to declare bankruptcy and we had to leave my house and I didn't want to leave."
Glenn Kolman now works as a nursing home assistant.
But Trump, who pounded on companies like Ford, Steelcase and Carrier air conditioners for closing plants in the United States and moving jobs to other countries, said he's the only one who can bring jobs back to America.
"When we close the chapter on the Clintons, we can open a bright new chapter focused on the American people," he said. "My contract with the American people starts with a plan to restore honesty and accountability to government."
Democrats said every time Trump comes to Michigan, their case gets stronger.
"We always knew they were going to throw a lot of obstacles in our way," said Brandon Dillon, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, noting the FBI controversy actually has helped the party's efforts. "The one thing it has done, it’s reminding Democrats that we can’t take this election for granted."
Contributing: Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press. Follow Kathleen Gray on Twitter: @michpoligal