Donald Trump closes the campaign in Michigan and predicts the 'greatest victory' ever

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump closed his campaign with a late night rally in Grand Rapids, as he did in 2016 and 2020
Trump predicted victory, claimed a lead without evidence and insulted critics in his last ever speech as a presidential candidate
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz rallied supporters in Detroit, along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Jon Bon Jovi and others.

GRAND RAPIDS — Donald Trump held perhaps his last rally as a presidential candidate, kicking off Election Day with a late-night rally in Michigan that capped a hectic campaign.

“This has been an incredible journey,” the former president told supporters at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, where he began his remarks after midnight. “It’s very sad in a way, you know, because we’ve done all this, and this is the last one.”

Shortly after beginning his speech, Trump claimed without evidence that he was leading Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in early voting in Michigan, even though results cannot be reported until polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“But pretend like we’re losing a little bit because we want to put on a show of unity and stuff tomorrow,” Trump said. “This will be the greatest political victory in the history of our country.”

As at previous rallies, Trump claimed he would do “great things” for Michigan’s auto industry and attacked critics. He called Harris a “radical left-wing lunatic,” criticized former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton, while praising the oratorical skills of Winston Churchill.

“If you take away the vote, there’s nothing they can do about it, and we win,” Trump told thousands of fans gathered for the rally.

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Out of superstition or strategic acumen, Trump chose to end his campaign in Grand Rapids for a third time, just as he did in 2016 and 2020.

Winning Michigan on the road to a national victory would mean recapturing a state that Trump himself turned into a presidential battleground eight years ago with his stunning 11,000-vote victory over Hillary Clinton.

Democrats, on the other hand, are hoping to maintain an unbroken six-year streak of statewide election victories after Trump’s 2016 election by backing the state for Kamala Harris, and in turn playing a potentially crucial role in electing the the country’s first female president.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz rallied supporters in Detroit Monday night, where he was joined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and musical guests Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Stipe and The War and Treaty.

In a brief speech, Walz claimed Democrats have “momentum” in the race, thanks in no small part to the support of women, who he said would “send a loud and clear message to Donald Trump, whether he like it or not’.

Walz closed his final campaign event with a plea: “Michigan, bring this thing home for America. Let’s go.”

A tight race

If the polls are accurate, the race in Michigan could be extremely close again. In almost every recent reliable poll, no more than a percentage point or two separates the candidates.

But because of the margin of error in those polls, either candidate could easily win by a larger margin than Joe Biden’s 2.8%, 154,000 vote win in 2020.

The attention both campaigns have paid to Michigan illustrates the importance of the swing state. Trump, Harris and their running mates have made 40 campaign stops together since early October alone – an average of more than one per day.

During their visits and through a barrage of political advertisements, they sought to transform Michigan’s electoral coalitions into a historic victory.

Harris wants to bring disaffected Republicans back into the Democratic camp in a rebuff to Trump, who wants to break new ground with key minority groups that may be receptive to his message — especially young black men and Arab Americans.

Ultimately, it may still come down to turnout, and that’s what has driven both campaigns in these final days as each candidate has returned to previous sources of electoral support to squeeze out every vote before Election Day.

For Trump, that meant visits to Macomb County and Western Michigan, regions that had the support that brought him victory in 2020. For Harris, it was college towns. She flanked her stage with both maize and blue and green and white during campaign stops in Ann Arbor and East Lansing in the span of a week, vying for strong turnout among young voters.

At least one expert expects Michigan to surpass the state’s record 73.2% voter participation rate in 2020. Michael McDonald, the University of Florida professor who created this metric, has used modeling to predict that 73.9% of Michigan’s voting population will vote this year. .

More than 1.2 million Michiganders cast ballots during the state’s new early in-person voting period, which ended Sunday.

Nearly 2 million other Michiganders had voted absentee as of Monday morning, meaning the total number of early votes could still exceed the 3.3 million early ballots cast in 2020, when mail-in voting surged during the COVID-19 pandemic rose.

However, the weather forecast could impact in-person voting on Tuesday. Much of the Lower Peninsula was expected to experience rain for at least part of the day, and a large body of research has shown that bad weather can reduce turnout.

Conspiracy-weary election officials also hope for, but are in favor of, potential Election Day disruptions.

“We will be there with state, local and in some cases federal law enforcement agencies to protect the process and protect the people in the process,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said at a news conference Monday.

Harris’ closing argument

Harris, who wrapped up her campaign in Pennsylvania on Monday evening, rallied at Michigan State University on Sunday evening, her latest effort to boost turnout among young voters.

Benson told reporters Monday that 17% of early, in-person voters were 18 to 30 years old, a positive sign for Democrats.

During her final campaign stop in Michigan, Harris turned to a message of unity, telling her audience that “I see the promise of America in everyone who is here,” and urging them to help make that promise a reality.

Harris’ speech lacked any direct reference to her Republican rival. It was reportedly her first meeting since becoming the Democratic nominee, at which Harris did not mention Trump by name NBC News – an apparent attempt to end her campaign on a positive note.

“We are here together, this incredible mix of people from every background, every walk of life, together under one roof, and we are here together for many reasons, including because we love our country,” Harris said. “And when you love something, you fight for it.”