Thousands came out to what President-elect Donald Trumped dubbed his victory tour Friday night. He thanked voters for flipping Michigan for a Republican president for the first time in decades.
Trump covered a lot of ground, speaking for about an hour to a packed Deltaplex in Grand Rapids.
He promised to repeal Obamacare and bring factory jobs back to Michigan.
The biggest round of applause came after Trump promised to use “extreme vetting” of refugees and immigrants from certain countries.
“We will do everything in our power to keep Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country,” he said, to a booming crowd.
Trump talked a lot about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the Midwest. He promised to renegotiate trade deals and railed against NAFTA.
“It’s the greatest jobs’ theft in the history of the world. No state has been hurt worse,” Trump said.
He says that’s why he knew he was going to win Michigan.
“They’re going to come roaring back and you’re going to be happy,” Trump said of factory jobs.
He referenced Carrier’s recent decision to keep jobs in nearby Indiana and hinted that Ford could follow suit, saying Ford promised him a “very big” agreement he expects in January.
The Associate Press reported Ford CEO Mark Fields said the company is moving ahead with plans to move a small car production line to Mexico, but said no jobs would be cut in the U.S.
Trump also announced the CEO of Dow Chemical will lead an influential private sector committee that advises the U.S. Commerce Secretary.
Protestors interrupted Trump twice and also interrupted his choice to head the U.S. Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, a West Michigan native.
“If I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed as your Secretary of Education, our kids, your kids, will have someone fighting for them every single day,” DeVos said.
DeVos has been an advocate for charter schools and vouchers for almost 30 years.
DeVos told the crowd she wanted give more local control to schools and end Common Core.
“All I ask for is an open mind and the opportunity to share my heart, together, let’s make education great again!”
