Trump, Vance to hit the campaign trail for first time together

(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail in the battleground state of Michigan — days after accepting the Republican nomination for president at the party’s convention for the third time.

This time, though, Trump was joined by his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for the first time at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday evening. It marks Trump’s first rally since his assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday.

Walking out to an enthusiastic crowd, Vance wasted no time attacking his political opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“The Vice President Kamala Harris, she doesn’t like me,” Vance said. “Kamala Harris said something to the effect that that I have no loyalty to this country. Well, I don’t know Kamala, I did serve in the United States Marine Corps and build a business. What the hell have you done other than collect the check?”

Vance went on to talk about his background, growing up in Ohio and his family struggles.

He later returned to the stage to introduce Trump, who was wearing a beige bandage around his injured right ear.

Trump immediately talked about last week’s shooting, reiterating that he stands only by the “grace of God” and gave his respects to the three people who were shot during the incident.

The former president then pivoted to the RNC, remarking about the highlights from the crowd to the speeches.

“It was just love. It was just a big four-day love fest,” he said.

Trump then mocked the Democrats over the current questions on President Joe Biden’s future, remarking the Democrats have “no idea who their candidate is and neither do we.”

“That’s a problem, but we’ll see. Hopefully, they get it worked out sort of interesting,” he said.

Trump also bashed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, saying he’d “be happy to run against her.”

Trump turned to Project 2025, reiterating his claim that he doesn’t know who they are but admitting he “knew some” of the people involved in it. He argued that the Democrats are using Project 2025 as misinformation against him

“They keep saying he’s a threat to democracy. I’m saying, ‘What the hell did I do for democracy?’ Last week, I took a bullet for democracy,” he said.

The rally was inside the Van Andel Arena, an easier-to-secure indoor venue after the gunman at last week’s outdoor venue fired from a nearby roof. The indoor venue is a change from Trump’s previous rallies this election cycle, which are primarily outdoors, weather permitting.

Van Andel Arena accommodates more than 12,000 people, although it’s unclear how many people will attend. The arena is located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, surrounded by several restaurants and hotels. Attendees can expect heightened security given last week’s attempted assassination.

Many attendees said they came to show Trump they weren’t afraid after what happened last week. Some camped overnight outside the venue to get a good spot.

“He’s not afraid to fight for us and we’re not afraid to fight for him,” Lisa Donlin, a Michigan mother, told ABC News.

This will be Vance’s first official campaign rally as part of the GOP ticket. It shouldn’t be seen as a coincidence that Trump and Vance’s first rally together is taking place in Michigan, a key battleground state.

The Trump-Vance campaign has made it clear since Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate that they see the Ohio senator as crucial in their strategy to win the battleground states in the midwest: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this week, Vance emphasized his background growing up in Middletown, Ohio, and living in the Rust Belt.

“I promise you one more thing, to the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and every corner of our nation: I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” Vance said Wednesday night.

But Vance has come a long way since his Rust Belt days, having gone on to attend Yale Law School and worked in the tech industry as a venture capitalist.

In 2016, Vance released his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which shared his story of growing up in poverty in America’s Rust Belt and being surrounded by violence and addiction.

A few years later, he launched his campaign for Ohio’s open Senate seat, winning the general election in 2022, defeating then-Rep. Tim Ryan.

Michigan is an essential state for both candidates. Biden defeated Trump in Michigan in 2020, however, Trump won the state in 2016 over Hillary Clinton.

The arena will be a familiar venue to Trump as he held a rally there in March 2019. In his previous election cycles, Trump made Michigan his final stop before Election Day.

During Trump’s keynote address at the RNC on Thursday, the former president mentioned the auto industry several times in an attempt to appeal to Michigan, home of many auto manufacturers. Although Trump pledges to bring back auto industry jobs, Trump disparaged United Auto Workers’ leadership, saying the union’s leader should be “fired immediately.”

“So with all the other things happening on our border, and they’re being built by China to make cars and sell them into our country, no tax, no anything. The United Auto Workers ought to be ashamed for allowing this to happen and the leader of the United Auto Workers should be fired immediately,” Trump said.

UAW, which endorsed Biden in January, responded in a post on X Thursday night, saying “.@realDonaldTrump is a scab and a billionaire and that’s who he represents. We know which side we’re on. Not his.”