Trump touts tax policy, tariffs at Michigan rally

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

With the midterm elections 99 days away, President Donald Trump touted his record on tax, trade and border policies before a cheering crowd in the swing state of Michigan.

In his Monday speech at General Motors Milford Proving Ground, Trump said the country “is winning like never before,” casting controversial policies that Democrats have hammered him on — such as tariffs and the U.S. Iran conflict — in a positive light.

“You know, I inherited this mess,” Trump said, referring to higher consumer costs that are partially due to his tariff policy and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. “They always try to blame me for high prices…Every day we’re fighting to put more money in your pockets.”

Amid polls showing that 75% of U.S. voters are concerned about gas prices and 60% disliking Trump’s handling of the economy, Trump highlighted the new tax deductions in Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which became law last year.

Under the OBBBA, for the next four years, income from tips, overtime work and Social Security is tax deductible for eligible Americans.

The OBBBA also temporarily made interest on auto loans for American-made cars fully tax deductible, and, Trump said, protected 170,000 Michigan manufacturing jobs.

The president also credited his trade policies for the thousands of reshored jobs and billions of dollars in new domestic automotive manufacturing investments made by GM, Ford and Toyota.

“In 18 months, we turned this country completely around,” Trump told the crowd. “We have more factories being built now than in any time in history…Will you please remember that I did it?” he quipped.

Congressional Democrats have bashed Trump’s aggressive tariff policy, arguing it has worsened affordability, an issue they are focusing on in the midterms. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center puts the average tariff burden at about $920 per U.S. household in 2026.

Trump supporters at the rally, however, think a short-term economic pinch is worth the promised gains.

Chris Grabowski, a 62-year-old retired independent contractor from Michigan, said the tariffs help prevent other countries from taking advantage of the U.S.

“The tariffs were necessary. They put us back on an even playing field,” Grabowski told The Center Square. “A lot of people just see it for what it is [currently], but you’ve got to look at the bigger picture. Why is he doing what he’s doing? We’ve been abused and used because we are so generous as a people and as a nation. That’s the issue right there, and we can’t do that anymore.”

Grabowski and other attendees The Center Square interviewed held a similar long-view outlook on the Iran conflict.

Since the initial U.S.-Israeli joint strikes on Feb. 28, costs of jet fuel, crude oil, and fertilizer have skyrocketed, resulting in more expensive plane tickets, higher distribution costs for consumer goods, and U.S. gas prices hitting a four-year high.

With Iran having broken multiple ceasefires and then violating the long-awaited peace plan weeks ago, Grabowski said he wants Trump to abandon negotiations and crack down on the country.

“They’re bullies in that region, and they need to be taken care of. Enough of it,” Grabowski said. “He’s doing it, I love it, it’s great, he hit them – and then he stopped. He was hoping to get everyone together, I get that. But he gave peace a chance, he can’t do that now. He gave them an opportunity, and they’re still playing. It’s over.”

Trump said in his speech that “very friendly negotiations are going on” with Iran, and that “right now they’re talking to us about making a deal.”

“We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple,” Trump argued. “You can’t bribe them, you’ve got to beat them.”

Liz Juergens, a 54-year-old sales worker from southeast Michigan, agreed.

“The war in Iran, I totally support that because that has to get done, we have to stop their nuclear powers at all costs,” Juergens told The Center Square. “I think Trump has the right approach. He can’t quit, he can’t stop – it has to continue on until we win.”

Juergens said she also supports the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which have pushed down border crossings by over 90% since the Biden administration, and the OBBBA’s rolling back of “green” energy initiatives.

Another attendee, 58-year-old retiree Tu Pham from central Michigan, supported the repeal of electric vehicle subsidies as well – even though it cost him his job.

“I actually lost my job because of that, because when all the subsidies were cut, all my programs were cut. But it had to be done, so I don’t hold a grudge about it,” Pham said, informing The Center Square that the event was “probably my eighth or tenth rally.”

Like Grabowski, Pham assesses Trump’s policies from a broader perspective.

“We can’t just think about ourselves, we have to think about the bigger picture,” Pham said. “And Trump’s doing everything he can; probably not at the speed that most people want, but he’s doing what we always wanted our president to do.”