Trump pitches Michigan economy plan as approval rating sinks
Trump promoted auto jobs and tariffs in Michigan as a poll showed weak approval in a swing state central to his 2028 map.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
President Donald Trump took his economic pitch to a General Motors site in Michigan on Monday as Trump approval rating in Michigan numbers showed a sharp fall in support in the state. The visit mattered because Michigan remains central to his manufacturing message and could again help decide control of Washington.
Speaking at GM’s Milford Proving Ground, Trump said the country was performing strongly and told supporters holding “American Jobs” signs that the United States was building auto factories and plants at a pace he described as historic. He also argued that past presidents failed to stop other countries from taking American jobs.
Michigan carries unusual weight in that argument. The state is home to the three large US automakers, and its economy was hit hard by factory shutdowns and outsourcing in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Al Jazeera’s Ali Harb.
Why is Trump’s approval rating in Michigan falling?
An EPIC-MRA poll last month put Trump’s approval rating in Michigan at 33 percent, less than two years after he won the state with 49.73 percent of the vote. David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University, told Al Jazeera that economic concerns are the main reason for the decline.
Dulio said some voters are also focused on foreign policy and other issues, but presidential approval often follows economic conditions. He said voters tend to connect more strongly with prices for gasoline and groceries than with large investment announcements.
The White House has promoted billions of dollars in Michigan investment, including expansions by GM, Ford and Stellantis, the automakers often called the Big Three. Trump has also said his administration is drawing trillions of dollars in capital into the United States and has described the country as the world’s “hottest.”
Michigan is also a major route for trade between the United States and Canada. Trump’s trade fight with Canada has added uncertainty in the state, Al Jazeera reported, even as a new bridge over the Detroit River opened between the two countries.
The United Auto Workers, a major North American union that has historically aligned with Democrats and sharply criticized Trump, welcomed his car tariffs last year. Dulio told Al Jazeera that Trump’s push to revive manufacturing may fit Michigan’s identity, but voters are focused on immediate pressures, including gas prices, tariff uncertainty and the conflict with Iran.
Federal jobs data cited by Al Jazeera show that US manufacturing employment fell by 2,000 jobs in May and rose by 3,000 in June. That means Trump’s policies have not yet produced a significant short-term factory jobs gain.
Why Michigan matters in the next elections
Trump won Michigan in 2016, lost it in 2020 and carried it again in 2024 when he returned to the White House. Its status as a swing state makes his standing there important for the 2028 presidential race.
The state also has an open US Senate seat in November. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up, and Al Jazeera reported that Republicans could make it much harder for Democrats to win a Senate majority if they flip the seat now held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
Republican Mike Rogers will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and public health advocate Abdul El-Sayed. Dulio told Al Jazeera that Trump has a reason to keep returning to Michigan: it has been central to his wins and to his trade and manufacturing message.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.