If Saturday afternoon’s rally in Novi were a barbecue, former President Donald Trump may have been serving red meat to supporters.

 

The Republican presidential nominee marked the first day of statewide early voting in Michigan by describing the disaster that he said would ensue should his opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, win the White House.

 

Ahead of the rally, screens displayed pictures of garbage piled up with captions like “Kamala’s Border Plan: Make America Haiti.” And speakers in the program stressed what they saw as pending threats to national security.

 

Trump’s speech turned up the political rhetoric and also claimed without evidence Harris would “kill thousands of people” through her border policy.

 

“If Kamala gets four more years, she will obliterate our economy, kill millions of jobs, and destroy your families’ finances,” Trump said.

 

The Harris campaign has ramped up its own attacks of Trump in recent weeks, highlighting Trump’s former chief of staff saying Trump fits the definition of a fascist.

 

One relatively new part of Trump’s Novi rally was the direct overtures he made to Muslims and Arab Americans, despite his past advocacy of policies like requiring Muslims to register in a database and banning travel from some majority-Muslim countries.

 

Trump advisor Stephen Miller, who reportedly helped draft the executive order implementing the travel ban during Trump’s time in office, gave his own assessment of those communities’ support.

 

“Arab voters in Michigan, they want a strong leader. They want a leader they can respect. They want a man who is going to protect and defend their families in this country. And, as you all know, that man is and has always been Donald J. Trump,” Miller said.

 

The Trump campaign has been working extra to court Muslim and Arab voters after seeing Harris face continued backlash over President Joe Biden’s support of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The effort is not entirely new, though: Republican recruitment efforts in places like Dearborn took a visible role in the 2022 election as well.

 

During Trump’s speech, he brought Detroit-area Imam Belal Alzuhiry and other Muslims supporting Trump on stage.

 

Alzuhiry said he believes Trump will bring peace to the conflict between Israel and Hamas while embracing Trump’s stances on immigration, and social issues.

 

“We support Donald Trump for his commitment to promoting family values and protecting our children’s wellbeing, especially when it comes to curriculums and schools,” Trump said.

 

Some higher profile members of Michigan’s Arab American community, however, are remaining deeply critical of Trump.

 

In a press release from a group including Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe, signers encouraged Arab Americans to see the possible negatives of a Trump presidency.

 

“Donald Trump has called for a Muslim ban, the arrest and deportation of 11 million hard-working immigrants who contribute to our economy and internment camps. His xenophobia, bigotry, divisive rhetoric, and incitement to violence, present a real threat to all Americans.  He has not demonstrated any compassion for Palestinians, has not called for a cease-fire and has, instead, urged Netanyahu to ‘finish the job,’” the press release read.

 

Trump also worked Saturday to expand his support among Michigan’s autoworkers by promoting his new plan for making interest on auto loans for American-made cars tax-deductible — though it would only benefit those who itemize deductions on their income tax forms, a segment of the population that skews wealthier.

 

Trump says his plan would “cause the car industry to boom.”

 

“You can have the American dream because you don’t have the American dream without a car for your kids, et cetera, et cetera,” he said.

 

Trump had previously mentioned wanting to jack up tariffs on foreign imports and increase reliance on fossil fuels.

 

Harris has won the endorsement of the United Auto Workers union. But Trump is banking on getting the support of at least some rank and file members.