Trump Highlights Economic Growth, Minimizes Expenses in Michigan Address

During a recent visit to Michigan, President Donald Trump proclaimed his administration has created the “strongest and fastest economic turnaround in our country’s history” while speaking to Detroit Economic Club members at MotorCity Casino Sound Board theater.

The president painted an optimistic picture of the economy, claiming grocery prices, rent, airfares, hotel rates, and cell phone prices are all declining. However, federal data released hours before his speech revealed a more complex reality. Grocery prices rose 2.7% nationally in 2025, including a 0.7% increase in December, with five of six major grocery categories showing price increases.

While Trump correctly noted that airfares have decreased during his second term and gas prices have fallen—with some Detroit-area stations charging as low as $2.30 per gallon—other economic indicators don’t fully support his sweeping claims. Rent growth has slowed but continues to increase according to Zillow data, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association reports slight increases in average hotel rates during 2025.

The president has made progress on several campaign promises, including tax cut extensions and implementing tariffs, but his pledge to “quickly” lower costs and “slash prices” for Michigan residents remains a work in progress. Nevertheless, Trump declared to the audience, which included prominent Republicans like state House Speaker Matt Hall and U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers: “I’ve kept all my promises and much more.”

Trump highlighted his tariff strategy as a key driver of economic improvements. “Investment is booming, incomes are rising, inflation is defeated, America is respected again,” he told the crowd, claiming that “every prediction the critics made about our tariff policy has failed to materialize.”

The reality is more nuanced. While real average hourly earnings increased 1.1% nationally in 2025, slightly outpacing inflation, Michiganders earn about 4% less than the national average. Through September, Michigan had added approximately 20,000 jobs in 2025, and its unemployment rate dropped to 5% in November—but remains among the highest in the nation.

A December 2025 analysis from economists at Harvard and Chicago University determined that tariffs have increased prices, with U.S. businesses absorbing much of the additional costs. University of Michigan economists predict tariffs will add over $3,000 on average to vehicle prices, though they expect a “small positive” impact on domestic auto production overall.

Before his Detroit speech, Trump toured a Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Dearborn with Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley, both of whom praised the president. Farley suggested Trump’s tariff policies and relaxed environmental standards enabled the company to expand truck production in Tennessee.

The tour location was symbolic—former President Joe Biden visited the same factory in May 2021 to promote electric vehicles and drove the F-150 Lightning, which Ford discontinued in December 2025 citing shifting consumer demand and “changes in the regulatory environment” after Trump rolled back Biden-era EV support.

Speaking to reporters at the plant, Trump expressed confidence about Ford’s future, pointing to domestic sales gains for Ford and GM in 2025, though Stellantis experienced a decrease. He also downplayed concerns about upcoming trade agreement negotiations with Canada and Mexico, stating, “We could have it or not, it wouldn’t matter.”

During his speech, Trump veered into several unrelated topics and reiterated unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud cost him Michigan’s 2020 presidential election. He suggested he won Michigan “three times” but “didn’t get credit the second time.”

Outside the venue, hundreds of protesters gathered in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, many demonstrating against Trump’s immigration policies with chants of “Deportation, we say no! Donald Trump has got to go!” Protesters also expressed concerns about democracy and questioned whether Trump would deliver the Michigan “miracle” he promised voters.

One protester, 69-year-old Debbie Rosenman of Bloomfield Township, was skeptical of Trump’s promises: “He will not do any of that. He doesn’t care about anybody but himself. There will be a Michigan miracle when we turn over our leadership.”