Trump and Vance launch campaign together for first time

Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail in the key swing state of Michigan, days after accepting the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention for the third time.

This time, Trump was joined for the first time by his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday night. It was Trump’s first rally since his assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday.

Speaking to a cheering crowd, Vance wasted no time attacking his political opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Vice President Kamala Harris doesn’t like me,” Vance said. “Kamala Harris said something about me having no loyalty to this country. Well, I don’t know, Kamala, I served in the United States Marine Corps and I started a business. What did you do other than cash the check?”

Vance then spoke about his background, his childhood in Ohio and his family’s struggles.

He then returned to the stage to introduce Trump, who was wearing a beige bandage around his injured right ear.

Trump immediately addressed last week’s shooting, reiterating that he was relying only on the “grace of God” and paid tribute to the three people who were shot in the incident.

The former president then turned to the RNC, highlighting highlights of the crowd and speeches.

“It was just love. It was just a big four-day love fest,” he said.

Trump then mocked Democrats over ongoing questions about President Joe Biden’s future, noting that Democrats have “no idea who their candidate is and neither do we.”

“It’s a problem, but we’ll see. I hope they find an interesting solution,” he said.

Trump also criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, saying he would “gladly run against her.”

Trump turned to Project 2025, reiterating his claim that he doesn’t know who they are but admitting that he “knew some” of the people involved in it. He argued that Democrats are using Project 2025 as disinformation against him.

“They keep saying he’s a threat to democracy. I say, ‘What have I done for democracy?’ Last week I took a bullet for democracy,” he said.

Trump spoke for 70 minutes before turning to Republican congressional candidates, frequently going off script and berating Democrats on issues such as crime and immigration, sometimes making false and exaggerated statements.

Before the rally began, some supporters told ABC News they felt the shooting had humiliated Trump.

“I think maybe that brought him down to our level,” Michigan resident Mark Heidema said.

The rally was held inside Van Andel Arena, an indoor venue that was easier to secure after the gunman who visited an outdoor venue last week fired shots from a nearby rooftop. The indoor venue is a change from Trump’s previous rallies this election cycle, which have been held mostly outdoors, weather permitting.

The arena is located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, surrounded by several restaurants and hotels.

Many attendees said they came to show Trump they were not afraid after what happened last week. Some camped out overnight outside the event venue to get a good spot.

“He’s not afraid to fight for us and we’re not afraid to fight for him,” Michigan mother Lisa Donlin told ABC News.

This is Vance’s first official campaign rally as a Republican. It should not be considered a coincidence that Trump and Vance’s first rally is taking place in Michigan, a key battleground state.

The Trump-Vance campaign has made clear since Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate that it views the Ohio senator as crucial to its strategy to win the key Midwestern states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

On Newsmax Monday night, Vance recalled his conversation with the former president when he asked him to be his vice president, saying Trump told him, “You can help me in some of these Midwestern states, like Pennsylvania, Michigan, etc.”

In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this week, Vance highlighted his background, having grown up in Middletown, Ohio, and living in the Rust Belt.

“I promise one more thing to the people of Middletown, Ohio, and to all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and every corner of our nation: I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” Vance said Wednesday night.

But Vance has come a long way since his Rust Belt days, having attended Yale Law School and worked in the tech industry as a venture capitalist.

In 2016, Vance published his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which tells his story of growing up poor in America’s Rust Belt and his childhood surrounded by violence and addiction.

A few years later, he launched his campaign for the open Ohio Senate seat, winning the 2022 general election, defeating then-Representative Tim Ryan.

Michigan is a key state for both candidates. Biden beat Trump in Michigan in 2020, but Trump won the state in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.

The arena will be a familiar venue for Trump, having held a rally there in March 2019. In previous election cycles, Trump has made Michigan his last stop before Election Day.

During his opening remarks at the RNC on Thursday, the former president repeatedly mentioned the auto industry in an attempt to woo Michigan, home to many automakers. While Trump has promised to bring back auto jobs, he has denigrated the leadership of the United Auto Workers union, saying the union leader should be “fired immediately.”

“With everything that’s going on at our border, and these cars are being manufactured by China to sell in our country, with no taxes, with nothing. The United Auto Workers should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen and the leader of the United Auto Workers should be fired immediately,” Trump said.

The UAW, which endorsed Biden in January, responded in a post on X on Thursday night, saying: “@realDonaldTrump is a scab and a billionaire and that’s what he stands for. We know whose side we’re on. Not his.”