By Ben Solis, Michigan Advance
Vice President JD Vance visited Hatch Stamping in Howell on Wednesday to tout the Trump administration’s efforts to restore manufacturing jobs in the nation.
But the vice president veered off in his 20-minute speech, most notably to suggest deploying federal troops to clamp down on crime in Detroit, even though the city has been safer than it has been in decades.
Still, Vance made a call to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to let the National Guard patrol Detroit’s streets much like it had in Washington D.C. and as President Donald Trump ordered Monday for Memphis, Tennessee.
“My one message to Gretchen Whitmer is look at the city of Detroit, which we know has got some serious crime problems,” Vance said. “We know that it’s the people in Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant all over city streets. So Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit.”
The most recent weekly crime report for the city shows that crime was decreasing across the board compared to the same time period last year. That includes one homicide in the last week, and six non-fatal shootings. Violent crime and property crimes were also down from last year, according to data released by the Detroit Police Department.
Even Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a former Democrat who is now running for governor as an independent candidate, recently in an interview was asked what he would do if the president called him and said he was planning to bring in federal troops.
Duggan said that there was no need to deploy federal troops in the city because of its momentous turnaround and that sending in troops would be a bad strategy. He also noted that Detroit wasn’t a sanctuary city, so there was no need for enhanced immigration enforcement like in Los Angeles, and that the city already has a tight partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Vance doubled down anyway, saying that streets are safer when law enforcement is allowed to “put bad guys away.”
“Just as we want to protect your jobs … we also want to make sure, when you go home, you can enjoy your neighborhood and enjoy your community in sync,” Vance said.
Mentions of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, its tax cuts and any efforts from the administration to make manufacturing might again were mere footnotes to his riffs on crime and Kirk.
On the federal budget and economic policy, Vance loosely mentioned the president’s tax cuts but did not detail how they would make life better for average Americans. Vance did say that it was his belief that ending the so-called Biden era electric vehicle mandate was good for the American auto worker, and that autoworkers were already doing better in the short nine months of Trump’s second term.
“President Trump and I are proud to fight for you each and every single day,” Vance said.
Michigan GOP leaders praise for Trump administration for tax cuts
Several Michigan Republicans joined Vance in Howell, including Michigan Republican Party Chair and state Sen. Jim Runestad of White Lake, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers and U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett.
Runestad said Trump’s policies have been spurring investment and business, creating secure new jobs, and have emphasized stronger families and more resilient communities. For Runestad, those conservative-led efforts were, in turn, building a stronger America.
“We are eager to use your vision to build a stronger Michigan economy,” Runestad said.
Rogers said Republicans put Trump and Vance in the White House to finally step up to China’s manufacturing stronghold and bring jobs home. It was his belief that the pair were delivering.
Barrett, who has gotten flack from Democrats and other constituents at home for his vote to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, said he was proud of the bill’s contents and that it would stave off economic damage and high prices consumers felt during the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden.
“We were able to do that,” Barrett said. “We staved off the largest tax increase in American history by extending the 2017 tax cuts and jobs so you can actually keep more of your own money.”
Democrats tell Vance to go home
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee said Vance was simply doubling down on Trump’s “disastrous economic agenda” in Michigan. The party noted that the last time Vance visited the state, he promised a manufacturing renaissance, but the manufacturing sector has since shrunk by 42,000 jobs, according to the independent, bipartisan Center of American Progress research group.
Vance visited Michigan in March, and bragged about inflation numbers being on the right track. The DNC noted that since then, the Trump and Vance administration has seen inflation rates rise and may worse with foreign import taxes and other rising costs.
“After promising a manufacturing renaissance, JD Vance has a lot of nerve going back to Michigan to sell his billionaire-first budget. Instead of a ‘great American comeback,’ Trump and Vance have delivered an economic disaster: Prices are soaring, wages are decreasing, jobs are disappearing, and the manufacturing sector is being gutted,” Kendall Witmer, DNC rapid response director, said in a statement. “There’s no hiding the truth that Trump’s reckless economic policies are failing working and middle-class families in Michigan. That’s why Democrats are fighting to make the economy work for regular people – not just billionaires and elites.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also bashed Barrett for his appearance at the speech and rally on Wednesday.
“Thanks to Barrett and Vance, Michiganders are losing their health care, facing layoffs at their manufacturing jobs, and paying higher prices everywhere from the grocery store to their electricity bills,” DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith said in a statement. “Michiganders won’t be fooled: Barrett puts Washington first and his constituents last, and it’s why he’ll be rejected at the ballot box next year.”
Vance eulogizes Kirk
The vice president also lionized Charlie Kirk, the close Trump ally and podcaster who was fatally shot Sept. 10 in Utah. Several members of local chapters of Turning Point USA, which Kirk founded and advocated for conservative causes on college campuses, stood on a riser behind Vance as he spoke.
Vance said Kirk’s work gave conservative and Christian students a home on college campuses where they might otherwise be ostracized, and said that he would continue to fight for everyone’s ability to speak their minds freely and openly – despite their political affiliations.
That call for unity was in stark contrast to his message while guest hosting Kirk’s podcast this week, where he claimed there was no unity with groups that escalate against speech they disagree with through violent acts.
Trump this week has called for a crackdown on liberal groups with no apparent ties to the suspect in Vance’s killing, who faces murder and other charges.
Vance, in Michigan, also turned his call for unity into another rallying cry for young conservatives, saying they will reject political violence but also will reject “the crazy left wing radicals that gunned down our friend Charlie.”
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.
