{"id":793118,"date":"2026-07-30T10:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/793118\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:11:08","slug":"trumps-tariffs-may-be-a-flashpoint-for-michigans-midterms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/793118\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump’s tariffs may be a flashpoint for Michigan’s midterms"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILFORD, Mich. (AP) \u2014 Flying to a rally at General Motors this week, President Donald Trump<\/a> declared that \u201ccar companies are doing better than they\u2019ve ever done\u201d thanks to his tariffs<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll because of Trump,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

It was a message the president repeated while touring a collection of new vehicles, predicting that \u201cit\u2019s amazing what tariffs will do for General Motors\u201d before autographing a white Corvette commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary. He later told a crowd of cheering supporters that \u201cMichigan is thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not exactly true, at least according to many metrics. Tariffs have cost businesses in Michigan and across the country billions of dollars while helping to stoke inflation that has continued to run hot<\/a> \u2014 despite Trump\u2019s assurances that his business background would wipe it out. <\/p>\n

Many Americans believe tariffs have pushed prices higher<\/a> and the war in Iran<\/a> has also increased gasoline prices, hurting consumer confidence in the economy<\/a> while keeping Trump\u2019s approval ratings low.<\/a><\/p>\n

There are few places where contradictions between the president\u2019s boasts and the economic reality of his tariffs are more likely to collide ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections<\/a> than in battleground Michigan, which holds its primary on Tuesday. Trump won the state in 2016 and then again in 2024, after it had flipped to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. <\/p>\n

During his rally in Milford, northwest of Detroit, the crowd was adoring. But even some of Trump\u2019s ardent supporters said prices are too high and tariffs had caused short-term economic pain \u2014 even as they still support the president overall. <\/p>\n

Lisa Scherer, a 64-year-old who used to run a landscaping company and work as a bus driver and union steward, acknowledged that high gas prices are \u201churting a lot\u201d and it is \u201cvery rough\u201d to afford things.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m just hoping, if we hang in there,\u201d she said, emphasizing that she still thinks the president is doing a good job. <\/p>\n

Michigan and Canada have deep trade ties<\/p>\n

Though the Supreme Court struck down<\/a> many of the tariffs Trump ordered upon first returning to the White House, the administration has launched new import taxes and recently invoked the Tariff Act of 1930 to accuse Canada of using discriminatory practices and plans to impose 50% tariffs<\/a> on many imports from that country. <\/p>\n

Michigan relies on supply chains that are heavily integrated with Canada after decades of policies that encouraged reducing bilateral trade barriers. That included the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement<\/a> from Trump\u2019s first term. Trump chose not to renew that trade pact, setting up years of negotiations.<\/p>\n

GM said it was \u201chonored to spend time showcasing our vehicles and facilities\u201d for Trump. But automakers have long said that tariffs increase production costs<\/a> \u2014 so much so that the president offered them a reprieve from his auto-part tariffs, extending in October what was supposed to have been a short-term rebate<\/a> until 2030.<\/p>\n

Veteran Michigan pollster Bernie Porn said Trump\u2019s rosy words can\u2019t hide how his tariffs are helping intensify voters\u2019 concerns about inflation and affordability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was listening to him, I said, \u2018What planet are you on?\u2019\u201d Porn said.<\/p>\n

Porn noted that some Republicans nationally are worried that their voters won\u2019t be motivated to turn out in November and \u201cI doubt if Michigan is going to be very different.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHe is like an anchor around Republicans,\u201d Porn said. <\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s policies don\u2019t bother Joe Miskovich, the 57-year-old owner of an aerospace business from Fenton, Michigan, about 20 miles north of Milford. He said of tariffs that \u201cthe American public needs to look at the bigger picture.\u201d <\/p>\n

People need to see, Miskovich said, that \u201cyes, granted, there might be a little higher increase in price. But the long-term effect is going to be absolutely positive to the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump is helping decide next week\u2019s primaries <\/p>\n

As he\u2019s done in key midterm primary races nationwide, the president has used endorsements<\/a> to help ensure candidates he sees as most loyal or potentially helpful to his policies prevail. In Michigan\u2019s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, Trump has endorsed Congressman John James over rival Perry Johnson. <\/p>\n

Also speaking was former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is again running for Senate after narrowly losing to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin two years ago.<\/p>\n

More national attention has been focused on the state\u2019s Democratic Senate primary, which will decide if Rogers faces Rep. Haley Stevens<\/a> or progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed<\/a>. But Rogers said Michigan needs a senator who promotes Trump\u2019s agenda, not someone who works to stymie it. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the time that we will stand up and get Michigan up off of her knees,\u201d he said at Trump\u2019s rally. <\/p>\n

Scherer, who once ran the landscaping company, drove nearly five hours from her home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, to see Trump\u2019s speech. She\u2019s nonetheless worried that the president has left behind some supporters like herself who helped get him back to the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m brutally honest, like Trump is, aren\u2019t I? He\u2019s forgot about the people on a fixed income,\u201d said Scherer, who lives on Social Security benefits of $1,100 per month. \u201cBut I look at it like, I guess, No pain, no gain.\u201d <\/p>\n

Automakers plan to increase domestic production \u2014 eventually <\/p>\n

Republican Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall praised tariffs at Trump\u2019s rally, while also noting that the president last year announced a new fighter jet mission that secured the future of the state\u2019s Selfridge Air National Guard Base<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what putting Michigan first looks like,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Some auto companies have pledged to ramp up U.S. production, yet those benefits aren\u2019t being felt yet. GM announced<\/a> in June 2025 that it planned to invest $4 billion to shift some vehicle production from Mexico to the U.S. starting next year. <\/p>\n

Ford and Stellantis, which owns Chrysler, have a similar timeline for expanding domestic operations.<\/p>\n

Toyota also said it would invest $3.6 billion and relocate production of its Tacoma pickup from Mexico to Texas, but that will happen over roughly four years. <\/p>\n

In the meantime, Michigan has seen only modest increases in auto sector job creation during Trump\u2019s second term, while jobs tied to auto parts manufacturing declined by about 4,000<\/a> statewide through June when compared to the same month last year.<\/p>\n

Michigan has lost 8,300 manufacturing jobs since Trump announced his \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariffs in April of last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. <\/p>\n

Among some of Trump\u2019s base, economic worries show <\/p>\n

Outwardly, the rally was a lovefest. When the president told of encountering a \u201cbeautiful\u201d waitress in Las Vegas during the 2024 campaign, a man in the audience bellowed, \u201cYou\u2019re beautiful!\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, the crowd began chanting \u201c10 more years!\u201d when Trump talked about needing to leave office after January 2029. <\/p>\n

\u201cTrump is, like, No. 1. You know, he\u2019s the best,\u201d said Rose Stroud, 75, who attended the rally from Commerce, Michigan. \u201cHe thinks about the people, about what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some attendees insisted that the president should get the benefit of the doubt \u2014 even as concerns about kitchen table issues tick up. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a method to the madness, and people sometimes don\u2019t understand or get it,\u201d said Roy Parks, 49, a self-employed handyman, photographer and videographer from Milford. \u201cBut there\u2019s always a reason he\u2019s doing things a certain way, and it may not make sense at first, but after six, twelve months, it all comes together.\u201d <\/p>\n

He said the same goes for tariffs: \u201cYou may not like it at first, but it\u2019s a short-term pinch, short-term pain, but long-term good. It works out in the end. It\u2019s for the best.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you rip off the Band-Aid right away, it stings,\u201d Parks added. \u201cBut, after a few minutes, there\u2019s no pain. You have to go through a little bit of pain at first to get to long-term good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILFORD, Mich. (AP) \u2014 Flying to a rally at General Motors this week, President Donald Trump declared that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":793119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[164749,21491,23,1927,106,337016,28,12,109,1070,28866,5888,793,3502,962,2402,3139,228242,3319,337015,292247,337013,1305,1303,21486,3,337014,111,337017,337018,8879,795,3438,21,19,22,20,25,24,800],"class_list":["post-793118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-2026-elections","tag-abdul-el-sayed","tag-america","tag-ap-top-news","tag-auto-industry","tag-bernie-porn","tag-business","tag-donald-trump","tag-economic-policy","tag-elections","tag-elissa-slotkin","tag-general-motors-co","tag-general-news","tag-gerald-ford","tag-government-policy","tag-inflation","tag-international-trade","tag-iran-war","tag-joe-biden","tag-joe-miskovich","tag-john-james","tag-lisa-scherer","tag-mi-state-wire","tag-michigan","tag-mike-rogers","tag-news","tag-perry-johnson","tag-politics","tag-rose-stroud","tag-roy-parks","tag-tariffs-and-global-trade","tag-u-s-news","tag-u-s-republican-party","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-washington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}