Trump Takes Midterm Blitz to Port Huron Sunday for First Presidential Visit in City's History
President Donald Trump holds a midterm rally Sunday afternoon at McMorran Place Arena in Port Huron, Michigan — a visit city officials say is the first by a sitting president to Port Huron and St. Clair County. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and he is scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. local time.
President Donald Trump is due to hold a midterm election rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, October 25, at McMorran Place Arena, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. and the president expected to begin speaking at 3 p.m. local time, according to the event details reported by the Detroit Free Press and DispatchTimes. The event is being organised by the Michigan Republican Party, admission is free and tickets are required to attend. FOX 2 Detroit is scheduled to conduct a private interview with Trump before the event, with its coverage of the visit beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Port Huron officials have said the visit will be the first by a sitting U.S. president to the city and to St. Clair County. Local authorities have been working with state and federal agencies on preparations for an event expected to draw large crowds downtown, and police and city officials have announced traffic restrictions and road closures around McMorran Place for Sunday beginning in the early morning, with several nearby car parks closed or reserved for event and accessible parking.
The city's mayor is welcoming the visit even while saying the president's own policies are hurting her border city. Mayor Anita Ashford told the Detroit Free Press in an October 22 interview that Port Huron's economy has been hurt by Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports, Canada's retaliatory tariffs, and a significant drop in Canadian visitors who have historically patronized the city's restaurants, bars, gas stations and shopping malls. "I know it's affecting the city," Ashford said. But she added: "I took an oath of office to represent all the people. Port Huron is a welcoming city, and that's where I stand."
The Port Huron stop continues a grueling final campaign swing nine days before the November 3 midterm elections. Trump visited Iowa on October 22, Florida on October 23 and Georgia on Saturday, and after Michigan on Sunday he heads to Mississippi on Monday and to Texas on Tuesday, the Free Press reported. Michigan is a battleground state, and the rally is aimed at rallying Republican support for candidates there ahead of Election Day.
