Detroit — Democratic President Joe Biden told a group of his supporters in Detroit Sunday his general election opponent, Republican Donald Trump, would reverse efforts his administration has made to protect the environment and expand health insurance coverage.
Biden made the comments during a brief, four-minute speech at a private campaign gathering of about 50 people inside CRED Cafe, a speakeasy opened last year by former National Basketball Association players and brothers, Joe and Jordan Crawford, in Detroit.
During his remarks, Biden labeled Trump “a different breed of cat,” adding that Trump is “not your typical Republican.”
“The guy we’re running against wants to back up all of the … progress we’ve made,” the Democratic president told the group.
Biden said Trump would undo policies he’s implemented to safeguard the environment, but he didn’t specify which ones he was referring to. And the president said Trump would dismantle initiatives that have expanded health insurance coverage and access to college to more African Americans.
Trump vowed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act but didn’t muster the votes to do so during his administration.
Biden is spending much of the day reaching out to Black voters. On Sunday morning, before traveling to Michigan, he delivered the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta.
In a statement, Janiyah Thomas, the Trump campaign’s Black media coordinator, said Biden was “on a pandering tour because he knows what we all know: without the Black vote, there is no Democrat Party.”
“Today, Black voters can see through what Joe Biden is trying to sell because they know, like all Americans, that inflation is eating away at wages, the border is in chaos, and in big blue cities, Black children are trapped in unsafe neighborhoods and failing schools,” Thomas said.
Air Force One landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport at about 1:10 p.m. Biden was greeted on the tarmac by a group that featured Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, state House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit.
On Sunday night, Biden is scheduled to speak at the NAACP Detroit Branch’s 69th annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner at the Huntington Place convention center. In an interview last week, the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the NAACP Detroit Branch, said he believes Biden recognizes the significance of Detroit.
“Anybody, any party, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or independent needs to not take for granted the African American community,” Anthony said.
Black voters helped Biden win the Democratic nomination and the general election in 2020.
He scored 240,936 votes in Detroit on Election Day in 2020, defeating Trump in Michigan’s largest city, 94%-5%. About 78% of Detroit’s population is Black, according to U.S. Census data. Despite there being no proof of systemic voter fraud in Detroit, in the days after the 2020 election, Trump labeled Detroit “totally corrupt” and said there had been an improper dump of votes there.
Some Democrats are concerned that voters in Detroit won’t turn out for Biden the same way this fall in a rematch with Trump, potentially providing a path for the Republican to flip Michigan.
Sunday’s visit marks Biden’s third campaign stop in Michigan of 2024. He met with supporters in Saginaw County in March, and he spoke at a United Auto Workers hall in Macomb County in February.
Biden defeated Trump by about 154,000 votes in Michigan in 2020, 51%-48%.
During his campaign stop in Detroit on Sunday afternoon, the incumbent president said he had told a group of reverends to “pray like hell for me.” There’s a “long way to go” in the election,” Biden said.
“But we’re feeling real good because of folks like you,” Biden said. “We’re working real hard.”
Elaine Hadley is a dedicated journalist covering the ever-evolving landscape of U.S. news. With a keen interest in politics and a commitment to uncovering the truth, she provides insightful commentary and in-depth analysis on domestic issues. When not reporting, Elaine enjoys exploring the diverse cultures and landscapes of the United States.
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