GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD/AP) — President Trump will be kicking off his first 2020 campaign rally at the downtown Van Andel Arena. He is expected to draw more than 10,000 people and his events usually have thousands more that come but are unable to get in to the filled to capacity venues.
Tonight’s rally will start at 7 p.m. ET. The president’s remarks will be streamed live on various Youtube channels including Right Side Broadcasting and Golden State Times.
This will be the President’s first trip to West Michigan since before he was sworn into office.
Just as it was in 2016, Michigan will no doubt play a pivotal role in the 2020 elections. The president will focus a lot of effort to lock in the states that he fought hard for the last time in order to get re-elected. It’s far too early to say which way the Michigan may go, but even though voters elected Democrats to several important offices in the midterm, Trump will fight hard for their votes.
Grand Rapids, a Democratic-leaning city and the historically Republican turf surrounding it in Kent County, have seen a rise of Democratic activism and a number of electoral success since Trump took office. Plus there are demographic changes Democrats also are benefiting from , as the area has grown younger and more diverse. There are also signs that the improving economy also could be helping them. The question there will be if they see the improvement as a result of the Trump presidency.
Last fall, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer won the governor’s race over a Trump-endorsed candidate with help from voters in Kent County. She was the first Democratic gubernatorial nominee to take the county since an incumbent won it in 1986. Democrats also picked up a longtime GOP-held state Senate seat and made gains on the county board.
Local Democratic leaders also point to a flurry of new organizations that popped up to oppose Trump and promote progressive causes, from women’s marches to environmental concerns.
But even though enthusiasm on the left has increased, Trump’s supporters are probably re-energized by the Mueller investigation ending with zero evidence of Russian collusion.
“Democrats are in a pickle and they put themselves here” by trumpeting the investigation, said Brian “Boomer” Patrick, communications director for Republican U.S. Rep Bill Huizenga. “All the eggs were in one basket on the Mueller report.”
Trump campaign officials understand that they face a battle to hold the states that Trump swung away from Democrats in 2016. That includes Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump’s likeliest path to victory in 2020 pretty much requires them to do it again.
Still, they insist that the lesson of the 2018 midterms is that Trump’s core supporters are still enthusiastic about him — as evidenced by several victories in races in which the president invested his time. And in 2020, Trump himself will be atop the ballot and actively campaigning.