HOWELL, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Former President Donald Trump spoke at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, lashing out at Vice President Kamala Harris and focusing on inflation, jobs, illegal immigration and law enforcement.
His visit comes on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, recently held a news conference in Shelby Township Police Department.
“(Harris) is, as you know, the most radical left-wing person ever considered for any major office, and certainly for the office of president. People don’t know the real Kamala, but I do, and the people who do what I do, they know her,” Trump said Tuesday. “She’s so far left that no one can imagine, and her real thoughts are there.”
Trump stood with sheriff’s deputies in the city of Howell and called Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, the “ringleader” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement” across the country.
“Kamala Harris will bring crime, chaos, destruction and death,” Trump said in one of many generalizations about America under Kamala Harris. “You will see levels of crime that you have never seen before. … I will bring law, order, security and peace.”
In recent weeks, Trump has tried to temper the enthusiasm for Harris that has grown since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed her. That has meant both dire predictions about what Harris’s election would mean for the country and efforts by Trump advisers to organize events where he could try to draw out specific policy contrasts. On Tuesday in Michigan, the topic was crime and public safety.
The event was the latest to focus on a specific topic. But each time, Trump spent a lot of time personally attacking Harris and lashing out at Biden. In excerpts released before his speech, Trump’s campaign said he would seek the death penalty for rapists and child traffickers; he didn’t address that during his speech.
Trump also mentioned the DNC, where Biden, along with first lady Jill Biden and Hillary Clinton, spoke on the first day of the convention.
“I watched last night in amazement as they tried to pretend that everything was fine, that crime was high, that the border was great. There was no problem at all. No inflation, no nothing,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks, surrounded by police officers supporting him, stood in stark contrast to the Democratic convention. On Monday night in Chicago, speakers took turns reminding Americans that Trump is the first former president to be convicted of serious crimes, that he has been found civilly liable for sexual assault and that he still faces multiple charges, including for his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden.
Ahead of Tuesday’s event, Harris’ campaign launched an outcry against Trump, saying: “The racists and white supremacists who marched on Trump’s behalf last month in Howell all saw him praise Hitler, defend neo-Nazis in Charlottesville and tell far-right extremists to ‘stand back and stand by.’ Trump’s actions have emboldened them, and Michiganders can expect more of the same when he comes to town next week. But voters here support leaders like Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz who are working to bring us together, and we will continue to work to stop Trump and his far-right extremist allies who promote division, hatred and violence.”
Michigan sheriff warns of ‘scumbags who want to cause trouble’ ahead of Trump visit
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy shared details ahead of Trump’s visit and asked residents to be respectful as he addressed the white supremacist protests that took place in the city last month.
In a video posted to the department’s Facebook account, Murphy alluded to Trump’s position. Visit to Grand Rapids in Julywhen white supremacists held protests in Howell, some chanting “Heil Hitler” as they marched.
“Over the last month, we’ve had a few people come here to cause a little bit of a disturbance, to throw some hate speech and white supremacist bullshit,” Murphy said. “These people are from out of town, they’re not Livingston County residents… I’m just asking us, as Livingston County residents, to do what we do and be respectful like we are. I hope everybody gets that message, but there’s going to be a few bastards who want to escalate the situation.”
Previous reporting has highlighted a troubled history in Howell, including a period in the 1970s when Ku Klux Klan rallies were allegedly held at the farm of KKK Grand Dragon Robert E. Miles, who reportedly organized white supremacist rallies and was also convicted of bombing a school bus.
Murphy began the video by clarifying that Trump’s visit, which will take place at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, is intended to be a press conference, not a political event.
“There will be about 150 press people here. There will be some special guests who will be by invitation only, and when I say some, the number will be about 70. So, again, this is really just a press conference; the former president will be coming to address the press on security and crime,” he said.
“Here’s really the point of this message: People tend to be very, very passionate about politics, tend to be very passionate about former President Trump, whether it’s a passionate ‘yes’ or a passionate ‘no,’” he added. “So whether you’re going to come cheer or you’re going to jeer, I would ask you this: Please, please, please be respectful. The national spotlight will be on us; I’m sure the national media will take pictures of people holding signs. We don’t need these vulgar signs; we don’t need this hate speech.”
