3 takeaways from Trump’s final campaign rally in Grand Rapids
Posted on 11/05/2024
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Former President Donald Trump held his final rally of the 2024 presidential race in West Michigan on Monday, Nov. 4, closing his campaign in the second largest city of one the country’s most crucial battleground states.
The head of the Republican Party has made his energetic rallies a signature trademark of his candidacy. Thousands of enthusiastic supporters packed the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids for a rally that didn’t end until after 2 a.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.
This was the third campaign cycle where Trump decided to hold his final rally in Grand Rapids – he was in the city when he won the presidency in 2016, and before he was defeated by President Joe Biden in 2020.
RELATED: Trump makes final push for votes in Grand Rapids on eve of election
During a speech that lasted nearly two hours, Trump spent the Grand Rapids rally echoing the same core issues that have been a pillar of his other campaign stops in Michigan: The economy, immigration and hammering the Democrats for the current state of the country.
Michigan will play a pivotal role in Tuesday’s election, and both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris have blitzed the state with nearly 50 campaign visits to appeal to voters in the weeks leading up to the election.
Here are three key takeaways from Trump’s Monday visit to Grand Rapids, in case you missed it.
1. Trump promises to deliver a strong economy
Polls show the economy and inflation continue to be among the top issues driving millions of Michiganders to the polls, and Trump acknowledged that many Americans have been strapped financially in recent years.
RELATED: Trump voters say inflation, economy top issues ahead of final rally in Grand Rapids
He kicked off his rally by asking the crowd a question that he has asked at countless other campaign events: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” To which, the crowd shouted back, “No!”
“Because over the past four years, Americans have suffered one catastrophic failure, betrayal and humiliation after another,” he said. “Kamala has delivered soaring prices and true economic anguish at home, war and chaos abroad, and a nation-destroying invasion on our southern border, invasion of some of the greatest criminals in the world that are pouring into our country. And we are not going to take that; we’re going to end that, like immediately.”
Trump promised to end inflation “quickly” by drilling to increase domestic production of oil and gas, halting illegal immigration and strengthening the U.S. military. He has also promised to implement Made-in-America tax breaks and imposing large tariffs on products shipped from other countries.
“We will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country, and we will launch the most extraordinary economic boom the world has ever seen,” he said.
“Under my leadership, we’re quickly going to turn this economic nightmare into an economic miracle. We will make America wealthy again, and we will make America affordable again.”
RELATED: The economy is a political hot potato, but voters just see bigger grocery bills
A majority of voters believe the economy is on the wrong track, a recent Harvard-Harris poll found, and 62% characterized it as weak – despite inflation being low and unemployment down.
2. Trump urges voters to deliver him an election win “too big to rig”
Throughout the Grand Rapids rally, Trump and his opening speakers, including U.S. Senate and House candidates, hammered one big takeaway to attendees: Get out and vote on Tuesday.
“Too big to rig” was the slogan of the night, a phrase that was echoed repeatedly by Trump and his opening speakers and displayed on the screens before he took the stage. Attendees were encouraged to vote in droves and to encourage their friends and family to vote.
“The ball’s in our hand. All we have to do is get out the vote tomorrow... In other words, to make you feel a little guilty, we would only have you to blame,” he joked.
Before taking the stage, a pre-recorded video of Trump urged attendees to vote and keep the Nov. 5 election secure by “swamping the radical Democrats with voter turnout.” A big screen in the arena later encouraged voters to register to vote and to vote by any means necessary, whether that be in-person or via absentee ballot.
Trump also continued to cast doubts about widespread election fraud – which has been repeatedly debunked – by voicing concerns about tabulators and encouraging attendees to watch their local polling locations closely to ensure ballots were being counted securely.
RELATED: 3 voting myths busted by Michigan county clerks ahead of Nov. 5 election
However, Trump praised Michigan’s election system for using paper ballots with watermarks and a Qualified Voter File system to ensure election integrity. Michigan clerks retain paper ballots and printed vote tallies to ensure votes can be reviewed any time a recount is needed.
“Old fashioned paper is much less expensive, and you know what? It’s more accurate, it’s much better,” Trump said.
3. A late night didn’t stop a huge crowd
Thousands of Trump supporters descended on downtown Grand Rapids for Monday’s rally, despite having to wait in the rain and knowing it was expected to past midnight. The line to get into the arena stretched just under a mind, extending pass Wealthy Street SE to Ionia Avenue and Logan Street.
Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and people were were already lined up to get a good seat in the arena. Trump was expected to take the stage at 10:30 p.m., but began speaking around 12:15 a.m. due to delayed campaign stops in Pennsylvania.
RELATED: Thousands of Trump supporters gather in Grand Rapids for final rally before Election Day
Nearly every seat in Van Andel Arena was filled when Trump took the stage, with a few hundred seats in the top rows blocked off in the upper level of the arena. The arena has capacity for around 12,000 attendees.
Trump didn’t end up leaving the stage until 2:19 a.m. and the arena was still well over halfway full when he finished, although several hundred people had left the event as the clock kept ticking down.
“Who else could have this many people at 2 a.m.? Only Donald Trump,” said his son, Eric Trump, who was called on stage by his father along with his wife Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and two of his siblings, Tiffany and Donald Jr.
The head of the Republican Party has made his energetic rallies a signature trademark of his candidacy. Thousands of enthusiastic supporters packed the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids for a rally that didn’t end until after 2 a.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.
This was the third campaign cycle where Trump decided to hold his final rally in Grand Rapids – he was in the city when he won the presidency in 2016, and before he was defeated by President Joe Biden in 2020.
RELATED: Trump makes final push for votes in Grand Rapids on eve of election
During a speech that lasted nearly two hours, Trump spent the Grand Rapids rally echoing the same core issues that have been a pillar of his other campaign stops in Michigan: The economy, immigration and hammering the Democrats for the current state of the country.
Michigan will play a pivotal role in Tuesday’s election, and both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris have blitzed the state with nearly 50 campaign visits to appeal to voters in the weeks leading up to the election.
Here are three key takeaways from Trump’s Monday visit to Grand Rapids, in case you missed it.
1. Trump promises to deliver a strong economy
Polls show the economy and inflation continue to be among the top issues driving millions of Michiganders to the polls, and Trump acknowledged that many Americans have been strapped financially in recent years.
RELATED: Trump voters say inflation, economy top issues ahead of final rally in Grand Rapids
He kicked off his rally by asking the crowd a question that he has asked at countless other campaign events: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” To which, the crowd shouted back, “No!”
“Because over the past four years, Americans have suffered one catastrophic failure, betrayal and humiliation after another,” he said. “Kamala has delivered soaring prices and true economic anguish at home, war and chaos abroad, and a nation-destroying invasion on our southern border, invasion of some of the greatest criminals in the world that are pouring into our country. And we are not going to take that; we’re going to end that, like immediately.”
Trump promised to end inflation “quickly” by drilling to increase domestic production of oil and gas, halting illegal immigration and strengthening the U.S. military. He has also promised to implement Made-in-America tax breaks and imposing large tariffs on products shipped from other countries.
“We will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country, and we will launch the most extraordinary economic boom the world has ever seen,” he said.
“Under my leadership, we’re quickly going to turn this economic nightmare into an economic miracle. We will make America wealthy again, and we will make America affordable again.”
RELATED: The economy is a political hot potato, but voters just see bigger grocery bills
A majority of voters believe the economy is on the wrong track, a recent Harvard-Harris poll found, and 62% characterized it as weak – despite inflation being low and unemployment down.
2. Trump urges voters to deliver him an election win “too big to rig”
Throughout the Grand Rapids rally, Trump and his opening speakers, including U.S. Senate and House candidates, hammered one big takeaway to attendees: Get out and vote on Tuesday.
“Too big to rig” was the slogan of the night, a phrase that was echoed repeatedly by Trump and his opening speakers and displayed on the screens before he took the stage. Attendees were encouraged to vote in droves and to encourage their friends and family to vote.
“The ball’s in our hand. All we have to do is get out the vote tomorrow... In other words, to make you feel a little guilty, we would only have you to blame,” he joked.
Before taking the stage, a pre-recorded video of Trump urged attendees to vote and keep the Nov. 5 election secure by “swamping the radical Democrats with voter turnout.” A big screen in the arena later encouraged voters to register to vote and to vote by any means necessary, whether that be in-person or via absentee ballot.
Trump also continued to cast doubts about widespread election fraud – which has been repeatedly debunked – by voicing concerns about tabulators and encouraging attendees to watch their local polling locations closely to ensure ballots were being counted securely.
RELATED: 3 voting myths busted by Michigan county clerks ahead of Nov. 5 election
However, Trump praised Michigan’s election system for using paper ballots with watermarks and a Qualified Voter File system to ensure election integrity. Michigan clerks retain paper ballots and printed vote tallies to ensure votes can be reviewed any time a recount is needed.
“Old fashioned paper is much less expensive, and you know what? It’s more accurate, it’s much better,” Trump said.
3. A late night didn’t stop a huge crowd
Thousands of Trump supporters descended on downtown Grand Rapids for Monday’s rally, despite having to wait in the rain and knowing it was expected to past midnight. The line to get into the arena stretched just under a mind, extending pass Wealthy Street SE to Ionia Avenue and Logan Street.
Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and people were were already lined up to get a good seat in the arena. Trump was expected to take the stage at 10:30 p.m., but began speaking around 12:15 a.m. due to delayed campaign stops in Pennsylvania.
RELATED: Thousands of Trump supporters gather in Grand Rapids for final rally before Election Day
Nearly every seat in Van Andel Arena was filled when Trump took the stage, with a few hundred seats in the top rows blocked off in the upper level of the arena. The arena has capacity for around 12,000 attendees.
Trump didn’t end up leaving the stage until 2:19 a.m. and the arena was still well over halfway full when he finished, although several hundred people had left the event as the clock kept ticking down.
“Who else could have this many people at 2 a.m.? Only Donald Trump,” said his son, Eric Trump, who was called on stage by his father along with his wife Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and two of his siblings, Tiffany and Donald Jr.
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