Trump Takes Stage in Port Huron, Says He Came to Defeat El-Sayed
President Donald Trump took the stage shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday at McMorran Place Arena in Port Huron, told the crowd he was there to defeat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and — in a pre-speech FOX 2 interview — said a tariff deal with Canada could take months while the Iran war would not end until Tehran's nuclear capability is ruled out.
President Donald Trump took the stage at McMorran Place Arena in Port Huron shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, to chants of "USA" from the crowd, the Port Huron Times Herald reported in its live coverage of the midterm rally. Trump thanked the crowd, said there were 20,000 more people outside who wanted to get in, and said early in his remarks that he was there to defeat Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, the newspaper reported. The visit is the first by a sitting president to Port Huron and St. Clair County.
Before taking the stage, Trump spoke with FOX 2 Detroit's Roop Raj about the tariff dispute with Canada, the war in Iran and his approval rating, the station reported. He said a tariff deal with Canada was in the works and estimated it could take months, but also said it could be resolved before the election, and he said the war in Iran would not be resolved until it was certain the country did not have nuclear capabilities. On both deals, he said it was important to him to make a good deal regardless of how long it took: "I'm going to make a great deal. I'm a longterm person; I'm not a short term person," he said.
During the speech, Trump introduced David Beamer, the father of Todd Beamer, who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks aboard Flight 93, the Times Herald reported. Beamer spoke in favor of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and closed by citing his son's famous words: "One. Two. Three. Let's roll!" Rapper Nicki Minaj, who was in attendance at the rally, stood and waved to the crowd when Trump turned his attention to her, the newspaper reported.
Republican candidates John James and Mike Rogers also spoke at the rally, FOX 2 reported, one day after former President Barack Obama rallied Democratic voters in Detroit alongside El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. The Port Huron speech, nine days before the November 3 elections, is the latest stop in Trump's final-week midterm blitz in a state whose open Senate seat will help decide control of the chamber; his remarks were continuing as this file was staged, and any further news from the speech will be covered in a follow-up file.
