Former President Donald Trump fielded questions from Michigan audience members during a town hall-style discussion in Warren Friday night.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, spoke to a packed audience at Macomb Community College.
During the campaign stop — his second of the day in Michigan after a rally outside Grand Rapids — Trump said his promise to ramp up taxes on imported goods would help Michigan industries should he take back the White House.
Tariffs have been a frequent campaign theme for Trump, who started a trade war with China during his time in office.
Trump said the higher tariffs brought in a lot of money for the U.S. — though a 2024 report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers found tariffs "have not provided a meaningful share of revenue for the U.S. government since the early 1900s."
In Warren, Trump rejected criticism of tariffs from legislators, including some of his party's leadership. “The Senate and the House have to get really smart on this because, purposefully over a period of years, they’ve given it a bad name. Actually, I consider it one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The word tariff, I love it, I think it’s beautiful,” Trump said.
Economists suggest tariffs Trump imposed while he was in office led to higher employment in some industries, but a net loss in manufacturing jobs and a higher trade deficit overall.
Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, is also promoting tariffs on China, though more narrowly targeted than Trump's across-the-board suggestion. The Biden-Harris administration recently quadrupled import taxes on Chinese electric vehicles, for example.
Trump also promoted greater reliance on fossil fuels as a way to fight high costs at the grocery store.
When an audience member asked about fighting inflation, Trump renewed a campaign promise to lower energy costs by half.
“It’s going to start with energy. We’re going to drill baby drill. Energy’s coming way down. Energy, energy is coming way down and when energy comes down, everything else follows,” Trump said.
Trump said higher energy prices were behind a spike in inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal research suggests the increase was caused by a mix of energy prices, pandemic-related supply chain issues, and price changes in the auto industry.
Recent data shows year-over-year inflation has been inching downward in recent months.
Trump's Friday schedule showed the importance of Michigan to the former president's campaign. He spoke in Walker, a suburb of Grand Rapids, hours before his Warren appearance, telling supporters his policies would bring manufacturing jobs back to Michigan.
Trump also spent some time courting union and auto workers, giving shout outs to the Teamsters after the union declined to endorse Harris despite historically supporting Democratic candidates. Internal national polling released by the union showed Trump with around two-to-one favorability over Harris among members.
The Michigan Teamsters, however, has endorsed Harris for president.
The United Auto Workers union also endorsed Harris. Trump criticized UAW leadership Friday for not opposing electric vehicle transition policies.
“Those cars are all going to be built in China. We want cars built in the USA, it’s very simple,” Trump said.
UAW President Shawn Fain has said electric vehicle manufacturing holds the potential for tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S., and that a transition away from gas-powered cars can be done in a way that "works for everyone."
Democrats and UAW leadership accuse Trump of allowing six auto plants to shutter while he was in office.
Michigan Public's Dustin Dwyer contributed reporting
