Trump gets dragged by Detroit's mayor after he trashes on the Motor City

Detroit, Michigan - The mayor of Detroit issued a scathing response after Donald Trump ragged on the Motor City during a recent campaign event. Could this major flub lose Trump the election?

Detroit's Mayor Mike Duggan (l.) issued a scathing response after presidential candidate Donald Trump (r.) criticized the city during a recent campaign rally.
Detroit's Mayor Mike Duggan (l.) issued a scathing response after presidential candidate Donald Trump (r.) criticized the city during a recent campaign rally.  © Collage: BILL PUGLIANO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP

On Thursday night, Trump held a rally at the Detroit Economic Club in an attempt to appeal to the city's auto workers.

At one point, he argued that the country would be destroyed if his rival Kamala Harris beat him in November.

"The whole country will be like – you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit," Trump told the crowd.

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"Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she's your president. You're gonna have a mess on your hands," he added, before pivoting to another topic.

The city's Democratic mayor Mike Duggan issued a response on Instagram, arguing that Trump's memory was "a little fuzzy."

"Since Donald Trump left office, the unemployment rate in Detroit is way down, the homicide rate is way down, and our population is growing for the first time since the 1950s," Duggan explained.

"In fact, the best thing that happened to Detroit was when Donald Trump left office and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came in and gave us real partners," he added.

The people of Detroit react to Donald Trump dissing their city

Donald Trump during a campaign event with the Detroit Economic Club at the Motor City Casino in Detroit, Michigan on October 10, 2024.
Donald Trump during a campaign event with the Detroit Economic Club at the Motor City Casino in Detroit, Michigan on October 10, 2024.  © JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP

Trump's comments didn't just catch the ire of Mayor Duggan, as many other Detroit and Michigan residents and officials shared their reactions on social media.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer argued in an X post that the city "is the epitome of 'grit,' defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city," which is something Trump "could never understand."

"So keep Detroit out of your mouth," Whitmer added. "And you better believe Detroiters won't forget this in November."

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Michigan Congressman Joe Tate shared a similar sentiment, describing the city as "the greatest" in the country, adding, "Detroit threw Trump out of the White House last time, and we’ll do it again."

The state's Attorney General Dana Nessel said of Trump's remarks, "This guy is calling us ugly and then asking us out on a date."

Musician Jack White, a Michigan native best known for his band The White Stripes, shared a scathing reaction, also predicting that Trump will lose the state.

"What kind of political idiot insults Detroit while SPEAKING TO DETROITERS???" White wrote. "Guess what trump, YOU AIN'T LIKE US."

"You're gonna lose Michigan BIGLY, you wanna-be dictator orange clown," he added. "Go back to your fascist rallies."

Unfortunately for Trump's critics, a recent Quinnipiac University poll found that Trump is leading Harris in the battleground state 50% to her 47%.

Cover photo: Collage: BILL PUGLIANO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP

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