GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Former President Donald Trump ended a whirlwind campaign season, where he survived two assassination attempts and a historic switch of his Democratic opponent, on the stage in the battleground state of Michigan.
It was his fourth stop of the day after holding rallies in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. His Grand Rapids speech lasted into the wee hours of the Election Day that will determine if he would make a comeback to the White House.
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“This is it. This is the last one we’re going to have,” said Trump, who has previously said this would be his final presidential run.
The finale of his 2024 campaign included harsh attacks on his Democratic opponents as “evil” in his closing election message in the early morning of Tuesday.
Trump saved some of his harshest criticisms for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) whom he denigrated as a “bad person.”
“She’s an evil, sick, crazy, b—,” Trump said before mouthing the words “b***h” to the crowd’s delight. “It starts with a b, but I won’t say it. I want to say it.”
Trump admitted the prominent Christian Franklin Graham had implored him to watch his mouth, but said it’s a “little better when you use the foul language.”
The comments are a tangent from the disciplined campaign Trump’s allies have pushed for him to stick to and are likely not to help him win over suburban women voters who he will need to win in Michigan and elsewhere.
Earlier in a rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, Trump suggested famous boxer Mike Tyson should take on Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket this summer after his poor debate performance, suspected health issues, and plenty of political pressure.
“Put Mike in the ring with Kamala. That will be interesting,” Trump said.
Also on Monday, Trump mused that he’s learned to be less “risque” in his comments about women, perhaps in reference to the Access Hollywood tape, which almost crippled his 2016 campaign.
During the years-old tape, released just weeks before the election, Trump bragged that his star power means women let him grab them by their genitals.
“See, I’ve gotten much better. Years ago, I would have said something else. But I’ve learned,” he said, prompting laughs. “I would have been a little bit more risqué.”
He made a similar remark at a Saturday rally, saying that previously, he would have said the catching of the rocket was “like you grab your … girlfriend.”
The spot for the overnight rally was no coincidence. Trump held his final pre-election rallies in Michigan during the 2020 and 2016 elections.
But unlike those past cycles, Trump this year was the target of two assassination attempts. The first was in Butler, Pennsylvania where a gunman shot at Trump live on TV during a rally, and grazed his ear. A bloodied Trump managed to get up on stage and yell: “Fight, Fight, Fight,” which has been a rallying cry for his supporters.
The event at the Van Andel Arena saw thousands of supportive GOP voters hold out until well after 2 a.m. EST to hear Trump’s grand finale, despite the late start.
“I think he’s one of the only people that are going to be able to bring this country back to where it needs to be,” said Karen Sergison, a 62-year-old warehouse employee from Monroe who was one of the first people to get a general admission ticket to the rally. “To be prosperous and not, you know, being laughed at by the other countries.”
Michiganders who spoke with the Washington Examiner on Monday expected Trump and running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to win the state and the election.
“We’re basically Trumpers, I mean, not radical Trumpers, but we just believe our hope of America is in him,” said Roger Keur, 76, a retired pastor from Columbiaville. “And we just love J.D. I think he’s the future of the Republican Party.”
Trump and Vance have repeatedly stumped in the Wolverine State, one of the top battleground states, championing Trump’s promise to impose tariffs on foreign companies and reinvest in the automotive industry.
However, Harris and her running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) have also heavily stumped in the state. Harris is currently leading the former president in Michigan, 48.4% to 47.8%, according to RealClearPolitics‘s poll average.
Brittane Henke, 35, a small business owner from Flint, pointed to the struggles the average American family faces in buying everyday items as why Trump will win.
“I think (people are) angry about prices,” said Henke. “A single mom like me, just prices groceries, gas, just everything, the cost of living. You know, it’s just unreal.”
Similarly, Jean Seacord, 58, of Davisburg, referenced inflation as a reason why Trump will win.
“I want things to change. We are business owners, and we see a major change in everything that we purchase for our company,” Seacord said.
The former president could win the White House without winning Michigan, but according to one GOP strategist, winning the state would make his path easier.
“While Trump doesn’t need to carry Michigan, a win in the Wolverine State would make the electoral math easier given the narrow path to 270 electors through Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania,” said Dennis Lennox. “For Trump to win, he needs a huge margin in 70-plus outstate counties to offset Harris’s margins in Detroit and other urban areas. A better ground game in Michigan would surely have made this easier.”
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More than 3.1 million people in Michigan have either early voted or returned an absentee ballot, according to state data.
But even before Tuesday the former president’s team was predicting problems for the Harris campaign among her base of supporters. In a Monday memo, the campaign warned that Democrats were falling behind in voter turnout.
“With Early Voting closed and Election Day on the horizon, Democrats are facing a massive turnout deficit,” wrote Tim Saler, Chief Data Consultant. “In every single battleground state, we see President Trump and Republicans outperforming elections past in absentee ballots and early votes cast.”
John Schaut, 69, chair of the Kent County Republican Committee, said his fellow Michiganders would help flip the state red because of a need for change in leadership.
“I think people are desperate to have the good times return again,” said Schaut.
