Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan is putting his life on the line.
For the past decade, the city's mayor wrote in a post to X on Thursday, praising the city's recent sports successes but discrediting former President Trump's influence on the president's positive development. The Detroit Lions have announced that they will be participating in the upcoming Super Bowl. Nation.
“Detroit just held the largest NFL Draft in history, the Tigers are back in the playoffs, the Lions are heading to the Super Bowl, crime is down and population is up. Many cities should be like Detroit. “And we did it all without Trump's help,'' Duggan wrote.
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detroit (Roberto Machado Noah/Light Rocket)
President Trump was in Detroit on Thursday to speak at the Detroit Economic Club. There, the former president made comments that seemed critical of the city, warning of the consequences of Harris' term in office.
“The whole country is going to be like this — you want to know the truth? It's going to be like Detroit,” the Republican presidential candidate said. “If she were your president, our entire country would look like Detroit.”
But President Trump also praised the city, comparing it to China.
“Well, we're a developing country too. Look at Detroit. Detroit is a more developed region than most places in China,” he said.
Dugan, 66, a lifelong Michigan resident, led the Lions to Michigan State's success last season after appearing in the NFC Championship Game and winning a division title. The franchise broke attendance and ticket sales records last year during a historic playoff run for a team that had made the playoffs only four times in the 20th century.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit on April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancia)
When the NFL Draft was held in Detroit this spring, Dugan said, “This was special in that it put Detroit in the spotlight nationally,'' and that it was “a game-changer for the city'' in terms of attracting young people. I did,” he added. According to the Detroit News, either people live in Detroit or businesses locate there. This year's draft in Detroit broke the league's attendance record for a single event with more than 700,000 fans in attendance.
The Lions were historically close to making a Super Bowl appearance last season after leading 24-7 at halftime of the NFC Championship Game.
But Duggan boldly declared that the Lions would be playing in the Super Bowl for the first time ever this year. Strangely, this was done with less than a month left until the presidential election, in which Michigan is one of the battleground states, while linking it to a line that would damage President Trump's credibility.
Trump won Michigan in 2016, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since 1988. But the state elected Joe Biden in 2020, tilting toward the Democratic Party.
But Trump has polled better in Michigan this election cycle than the past two White House candidates. This has a lot to do with the blue-collar and working-class voters who have historically made up Detroit's auto manufacturing industry.
An internal poll conducted by the Teamsters, one of the nation's largest and most influential labor unions, found that Michigan members prefer President Trump (35.2%) more than his Democratic opponent, Vice President Harris (35.2%). (61.7%), while national union leaders declined to express their opinion. Despite supporting the Biden campaign in 2020, he announced his support in this year's presidential election.
Michigan Republicans are trying to capitalize on Harris' struggle with the state's blue-collar voters. This demographic has traditionally supported the Democratic Party, but is increasingly leaning toward Trump.
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“Michigan's working class will not be fooled by Kamala Harris' word salad or dog-and-pony show. Her policies, like her radical Green New Deal, are anti-worker.” Team Trump Michigan state communications director Victoria Lacivita told FOX News Digital. “Her attack on America's energy will make life unaffordable, and her plan to ban gasoline-powered cars will destroy the foundations of our economy.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that leading Michigan Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have advised the Harris campaign to increase its focus on the state as the election draws to a close. He also warned Harris to step up her economic message as Trump has been successful in currying the state's working-class voters.
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