Donald Trump should keep ‘Detroit’ out of his mouth

Editor’s Note: I had to backspace more times than I could count so this article did not read like the 2024 remake of 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up.”

I want to thank Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The Detroit Economic Club invited Donald Trump to speak Thursday, Oct. 10, at Motor City Sound Board. During his visit, Trump spoke about topics ranging from the economy to immigration to the auto industry and other issues that are of importance to Detroiters before heading to cast their presidential votes next month.

In the midst of his hour-long address, Trump used some not-so-coded language when describing how he felt about Detroit and current Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee running against him for the presidency.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president. You’re going to have a mess on your hands,” Trump said. “We’re not going to do that to this country. We’re not gonna let it happen.”[/perfectpullquote]

But the reason I want to thank Gov. Whitmer is because her response to Trump’s overt dismissal of this city was a lot more…refined…than mine would have been.

Gov. Whitmer took to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “Detroit is the epitome of ‘grit,’ defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand. So keep Detroit out of your mouth. And you better believe Detroiters won’t forget this in November.”

Detroit is the epitome of “grit,” defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities—something Donald Trump could never understand.

So keep Detroit out of your mouth. And you better believe Detroiters won’t forget this in… https://t.co/Q5VHuCfbkd

— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) October 10, 2024

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also chimed in on X.

“Detroit just hosted the largest NFL Draft in history, the Tigers are back in the playoffs, the Lions are headed to the Super Bowl, crime is down, and our population is growing. Lots of cities should be like Detroit. And we did it all without Trump’s help,” Duggan said.

Detroit just hosted the largest NFL Draft in history, the Tigers are back in the playoffs, the Lions are headed to the Super Bowl, crime is down and our population is growing. Lots of cities should be like Detroit. And we did it all without Trump’s help.

— Mayor Mike Duggan (@MayorMikeDuggan) October 10, 2024

Truthfully, I’d like more of an explanation of what he really meant, though. Was Trump implying the country would become predominantly Black if Kamala Harris is elected? Was he implying that the country would see a big economic resurgence if Kamala Harris is elected? Was he implying that small businesses around the country would prosper under a Kamala Harris presidency?

Nah. I doubt it.

He was probably repeating played-out tropes and outdated headlines that don’t truly capture the pride, beauty, growth, health, and vitality of this city on the rise. Undoubtedly, Detroit has problems. We have issues with poverty, literacy, crime, and equity. But show me a city that doesn’t.

Few American cities have been as upwardly mobile as Detroit has been in the past decade. Few American cities have seen the kind of economic boom that Detroit has in the past decade. And the best part is that Detroit hasn’t yet hit its peak. We’re still building, but this is a great city.

And Donald Trump should be aware of something about Detroit. We really embody the “big brother double standard.” The big brother double standard says I can criticize my little brother. I can pick on my little brother. I can rough up my little brother. And I can do all those things because I love my little brother. But the moment someone else fixes their lips to say anything negative about my little brother, they should be prepared to get punched in the mouth.

Figuratively, I think the people of Detroit will collectively respond to Trump’s reckless language about this city by punching him in the mouth at the polls in November.