Former President Donald Trump will look to firm up support among voters in the Great Lakes region on Thursday, holding campaign events in Michigan and Wisconsin. Both are considered battleground states in the 2024 election.
Incidentally, Trump is currently behind Vice President Kamala Harris in each state, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average. In Michigan, Harris is leading the former president by two points, 48.5 to 46.5. In Wisconsin, the vice president is clinging to a slim lead over Trump, ahead by only one point, 48.6 to 47.6.
Trump’s campaign blitz in the area begins with a rally located near Michigan’s state capital of Lansing, in the small town of Potterville, Michigan. It is his second visit to Michigan in the last week after giving a speech on Monday to the National Guard Association in Detroit. During this speech, Trump pledged to build a national defense weapon system similar to Israel’s “Iron Dome.” He also announced that he would create the Space National Guard.
Later in the day, Trump will travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he will hold a town hall at 6 p.m. Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will be the event’s moderator. It is her first main event with the Trump campaign after endorsing him on Monday at the National Guard Association. This is Trump’s first visit to Wisconsin since the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.
Michigan and Wisconsin are important states for the former president. He won both of them in surprise victories in 2016. He was the first Republican to win Michigan since George H.W. Bush in 1988 and the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984. In 2020, Trump lost both states by slight margins, including by less than one point in Wisconsin.
