President Trump to visit mid-Michigan today

President will deliver remarks in Freeland

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Latrobe, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks in mid-Michigan on Thursday -- one day after former Vice President Joe Biden visited state.

President Trump will speak in Freeland at 7 p.m. on Thursday at airport hangar AvFlight Saginaw.

The Republican president last visited Michigan on May 21 when he made a stop at Ford Motor Company’s Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti.

The news of Trump’s visit comes just after former Republican Michigan governor Rick Snyder announced his endorsement for Biden for president, saying that Trump lacks a “moral compass.”

“Donald Trump has actually been leading the charge on incivility. The divisiveness in our nation has not been worse in our lifetimes,” Snyder told The Associated Press after he announced his decision in a USA Today op-ed. Biden, he said, is “a good, decent man. ... You can tell he’s a person of character that cares. We need to heal our country.”

Snyder is one of many high-profile Republicans who have recently announced their support for Biden over President Trump.

In a tweet, Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox dismissed Snyder’s decision, calling him “Mr. Irrelevant” and saying no voter cares whom he supports. “Thankfully, just as he did in 2016, President Trump will win Michigan without Rick Snyder’s help.”

Michigan is a key battleground state in the upcoming presidential election. Trump became the first Republican to win Michigan in 28 years by roughly two-tenths of a percentage point in the 2016 presidential election.

The GOP president’s campaign recently announced that it has reached half of the voters in Michigan so far.

Campaigning has proven difficult amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, making it impossible for Trump to hold large rallies similar to those that propelled him to win the 2016 election. The president held a similar-style rally in Tulsa earlier this year, but later announced in August that he would not hold any more rallies for the remainder of the campaign.

Trump’s campaign has had multiple in-person events without him present, including Vice President Mike Pence’s recent visit to Traverse City and Ivanka Trump’s visit to GM’s Technical Learning University in Warren last Wednesday.

Last week Biden’s camp announced that he will be visiting Michigan on Wednesday. Details regarding Biden’s visit have not yet been released.

Biden was last in Michigan amid the state’s primary on March 10. He is the Democratic party’s presidential nominee and will be running against Trump in the 2020 General Election on November 3.

More: 2020 General Election coverage


About the Author:

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.