Trump to highlight border, Michigan’s woman murder in Grand Rapids
- Trump's 'Biden Border Bloodbath' speech to discuss woman’s death by migrant
- 42% of Michigan GOP voters rank immigration the top issue over economy
- Survey: Trump holds 3 1/2 point lead over Biden in Michigan
FILE – Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Mich., Feb. 17, 2024. Trump is holding events Tuesday, April 2, in Grand Rapids, Mich. and Green Bay, Wis., as he pressures President Joe Biden on immigration. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump plans to visit Wisconsin and Michigan, two crucial swing states in the 2024 election, where he’s expected to focus on immigration and criticize President Joe Biden’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump will first stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he’s expected to deliver a speech titled “Biden’s Border Bloodbath.” He emphasized this intention during a recent call to a Detroit radio program.
“Biden is the worst president we’ve ever had. This is something that’s country-changing. This is not like the cost of gasoline or even education or anything. This is country-threatening what they’re doing,” Trump said. “I think it’s the number one issue.”
The sentiment regarding the crisis at the southern border resonates with voters in Michigan, a swing state narrowly won by Biden in 2020.
According to a Quinnipiac survey, Trump holds a three-and-a-half-point lead over Biden. Michigan Republican voters prioritize immigration as the top issue, with 42% ranking it even higher than the economy, according to the survey.
However, among the entire electorate, including independents and Democrats, immigration ranks within the top three issues, barely trailing preserving democracy and the economy.
Kent County, a crucial swing county in Michigan, shifted to Biden in 2020 after turning red in 2016. Despite being about 1,500 miles from the border, the issue hit close to home when 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was tragically shot and killed by her partner during an argument in March, bringing the question of immigration to the doorstep of Kent County.
Local law enforcement framed the incident as an act of domestic violence; however, Republicans have latched onto the fact that the man accused of killing Garcia, Bryan Ortiz-Vite, was deported in 2020 and was in the country illegally.
Trump said he plans to meet Garcia’s family at his Michigan rally. Following his speech in Grand Rapids, Trump will head to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the border issue will again take center stage.
Biden has been addressing immigration more frequently in recent weeks, attributing the problem to the GOP and suggesting the issue can be resolved through legislation and House Republicans.
