Trump marks his first 100 days in office in campaign mode, focused on
grudges and grievances
[April 30, 2025]
By WILL WEISSERT, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and SEUNG MIN KIM
WARREN, Mich. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated the
100th day of his second term — yet spent much of his rally marking it in
campaign mode, fixated on past grudges and grievances.
He repeatedly mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, attacking
his mental acuity and even how he appears in a bathing suit. He again
uttered the lie that he won the 2020 presidential election. And he
attacked polling and news coverage not favorable to him.
And Trump again and again returned to immigration, his signature issue,
at the rally that marked his largest political event since returning to
the White House — boasting about his administration's “mass deportation”
efforts that have sent arrests for illegal crossings along the
U.S.-Mexico border plummeting.
“Removing the invaders is not just a campaign pledge,” Trump said in his
90-minute speech. “It's my solemn duty as commander-in-chief. I have an
obligation to save our country.”
He paused his remarks to play a video of migrants who Trump asserts are
gang members arriving at a notorious prison in El Salvador, with
rallygoers cheering as images of deportees having their heads shaved
were played. And while Michigan has seen unemployment rise since Trump
reclaimed the White House, Trump used his speech to defend his
administration’s steep tariffs on cars and auto parts — hours after the
White House announced it was softening those.
“We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most
successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our
country,” Trump said, standing before large electronic screens reading
“100 Day of Greatness.” He later added: “We’ve just gotten started. You
haven’t even seen anything yet.”
His Republican administration's strict immigration policies have pushed
the boundaries of the judiciary, and its protectionist import taxes
imposed on America's trade partners have also sought to reorder a global
economy that the U.S. built in the decades after World War II.
Trump has also championed sweeping expansionism, refusing to rule out
military intervention in Greenland and Panama, suggesting that American
developers could help convert the war-torn Gaza Strip into a
Riviera-like resort and even suggesting annexation of Canada. Meanwhile,
government-slashing efforts led by billionaire adviser Elon Musk have
shaken Washington to its core.
“After a lifetime of unelected bureaucrats stealing your paychecks,
attacking your values and trampling your freedoms, we are stopping their
gravy train, ending their power trip and telling thousands of corrupt,
incompetent and unnecessary deep state bureaucrats, ‘You’re fired!'”
Trump said.
Yet only about 4 in 10 Americans approve of how Trump is handling the
presidency, and his ratings on the economy and trade are lower than
that. Additionally, 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's immigration
policies, with about half of Americans saying he has “gone too far” when
it comes to deporting immigrants living in the country illegally.
Just 33% of Americans, meanwhile, have a favorable view of Musk, the
Tesla CEO and the world's richest person, and about half believe the
administration has gone too far in working to pare back the government
workforce.
“The bottom line for the first hundred days is, lots of damage being
done to the fundamentals of our government,” said Max Stier, founding
president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit
dedicated to better government.
Typically, presidents use the 100-day mark to launch multiple rallies.
But Trump is doing only the Michigan stop.
Administration officials say Trump is at his most effective when staying
at the White House, having meetings and speaking to reporters nearly
every day. Indeed, the speech in Macomb County was one of the few large
political crowds he’s addressed since Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
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President Donald Trump arrives to speak on his first 100 days at
Macomb County Community College Sports Expo Center, Tuesday, April
29, 2025, in Warren, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The exceptions have been flying most weekends to golf in Florida or
attend sporting events, including the Super Bowl and the Daytona
500. The limited travel to see supporters is a major departure from
his first term, when Trump held a series of rallies before
celebrating 100 days in office with a Pennsylvania speech in 2017.
Michigan was one of the battleground states Trump flipped in 2024
from the Democratic column. But it’s also been deeply affected by
his tariffs, including on new imported cars and auto parts.
Automaker Stellantis halted production at plants in Canada and
Mexico after Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported vehicles,
temporarily laying off 900 U.S. employees. Industry groups have
separately urged the White House to scrap plans for tariffs on
imported auto parts, warning that doing so would raise prices on
cars and could trigger “layoffs and bankruptcy.”
That seemingly would make the state an odd choice for Trump to hail
his accomplishments.
Luis Guevara, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, said outside Trump’s
rally that he’s “cautiously optimistic” about Trump’s first 100 days
in office but noted that change can be hard.
“We don’t look at our 401(k) or our portfolio on a daily, weekly,
monthly basis or even year to year. I think the market is very
skittish," Guevara said. “Now is certainly not the time to mimic the
market and be skittish. I think we have to hold tight. It’s going to
be a rough ride. Change is difficult for a lot of people.”
Earlier Tuesday, Trump issued an executive order relaxing some of
his tariffs on cars and auto parts. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
said the goal remained enabling automakers to create more domestic
manufacturing jobs, noting Trump is concerned with “jobs of the
future, not of the past.”
Carolyn Martz, of Royal Oak, Michigan, said outside the Trump rally
that she supports the president's tariffs. She said her husband is
an auto technician and has noted how parts come from China and
elsewhere overseas.
“I'd like to see more stuff made in America, by Americans, for
Americans," Martz said, adding that tariffs could stimulate U.S.
manufacturing.
“If we have to eat more in the beginning with higher prices, that
might just be part of it,” she said.
Michigan will be important for Republicans in 2026 as their party
tries to pick up a Senate seat in the state for the first time in
decades and regain control of the governor’s office, with Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer term-limited. Multiple competitive House races will
also be on the midterm ballot, along with control of the state
legislature.
Though she can't run again for the governor's mansion, Whitmer
remains in the spotlight as a potential future Democratic
presidential candidate. Long a Trump critic, Whitmer has sought to
find common ground with the president lately, appearing with Trump
at Selfridge Air National Guard Base earlier Tuesday to announce a
new fighter jet mission in the economically valuable base.
___
Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michelle L.
Price in Washington and Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos in Warren, Mich.,
contributed to this report.
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