NOVI, Michigan (AP) – Donald Trump further denigrated Detroit on Saturday as he called for votes in a suburb of the swing state of Michigan’s largest city.

“I think Detroit and some of our areas have made us a developing country,” the former president told supporters in Novi. He said people wanted him to say Detroit was “great,” but he thought he “needed help.”

The Republican candidate for the White House told an economic group in Detroit earlier this month that if Democrat Kamala Harris wins the presidency, “the whole country will be like Detroit.” The comment drew harsh criticism from Democrats, who praised the city for its recent drop in crime and growing population.

Trump then traveled to Pennsylvania, another key state, where he appealed to young voters by promising better conditions as they start their careers.

Trump’s stop in Novi after an incident in Traverse City on Friday night is a sign of Michigan’s importance in the tight race. Harris held a rally with former First Lady Michelle Obama in Kalamazoo on Saturday. Obama harshly condemned Trump and questioned why he was close, saying: “I’m wondering at night, ‘What’s going on in the world?’ “I stayed awake thinking.”

Candidates in the final period of the campaign made frequent visits to Michigan, a state that Trump won in 2016 but was carried by Democrat Joe Biden four years later.

Michigan is home to major auto companies and the nation’s largest community of United Auto Workers members. It also has a significant Arab American population, and many were disappointed with the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s offensive on Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Trump highlighted local Muslim and Arab American leaders who joined him on stage during his rally. These voters “could change the election one way or another,” Trump said, adding that he was confident in the “overwhelming support” of voters in Michigan.

“When President Trump became president, there was peace,” said Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi, one of those leaders. “We had no problems. There was no war.”

Trump has a history of policies hostile to this group, including a travel ban targeting Muslim countries while in office and a pledge to extend it to refugees from Gaza if he wins, as he seeks to capitalize on society’s frustration with Democratic governance. On November 5th.

Trump’s ally, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the grandson of Lebanese immigrants, told reporters that Trump is winning the support of more Arab Americans and developing relationships with leaders in the Middle East that will bring more stability to the region.

In lengthy statements to his supporters, Trump went after Harris and the media with familiar barbs and supported the immigration and energy policies that formed the basis of the campaign. For example, he said, immigrants “are taking the jobs of the Black population and the jobs of the Hispanic population.” Government data contradicts this claim; It shows that immigrant labor contributes to economic growth and provides promotion opportunities for native workers.

Later Saturday, Trump traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, home of Penn State University. He told a crowd that included more young people than ever before that under his leadership they would “inherit the freest, strongest and most powerful nation in the world.”

“If you vote for me, I will ensure that young people start your careers in a roaring economy, in a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity,” he said.

He repeatedly praised the university’s national championship-winning wrestling team and invited several of the team’s athletes onstage to shake his hand.

At both campaign stops on Saturday, Trump noted how the influx of Haitian immigrants was affecting Springfield, Ohio. But he refrained from repeating false claims that immigrants eat pets; This claim drew reaction from members of both parties and led to bomb threats being made to some schools and government buildings.

Trump took the stage an hour and 40 minutes after being called to speak. An hour after his remarks, the crowd in the back of the arena had become noticeably bare, especially as kickoff approached for Sunday night’s game against Penn State at Wisconsin.