https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/498880-trump-takes-pandemic-fight-to-michigan
President Trump on Thursday will visit the 2020 battleground of Michigan as he seeks to contrast his handling of the pandemic with that of the state’s Democratic leaders.
Trump’s visit to a Ford plant manufacturing ventilators in Ypsilanti will mark his third trip to a critical swing state in as many weeks. Each time, he has sought to highlight the private sector’s work with the federal government on the coronavirus.
Trump is sparing no expense in battling for Michigan, and has sought to turn Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) into a foil, urging on protests against her stay-at-home restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
On the eve of his trip, the president escalated the fight by threatening to withhold federal funding to the state over its plan to send applications to registered voters to vote by mail, a move Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) said was needed to ensure safe voting in the August and November elections during the pandemic. Trump charged that the step was illegal.
The president’s focus on Michigan highlights his need for a repeat victory if he’s to win a second term. Trump’s path to the White House would be difficult without capturing Michigan and its 16 electoral votes.
He narrowly won the state in 2016 but currently trails presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the state, according to recent polling.
But in addition to Biden, Trump is also competing with the coronavirus and its devastating effects on the U.S. economy.
After arriving in Michigan, Trump is scheduled to tour Ford’s Rawsonville manufacturing plant, which has been repurposed to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment. The company partnered with General Electric in April with the goal of producing 50,000 ventilators in 100 days.
Trump, like during his prior trips to Arizona and Pennsylvania, will deliver remarks at the facility. His other speeches, while focused on the COVID-19 response, have had a campaign feel, complemented by songs that would typically be played at his rallies.
Republican strategists say the trips are beneficial because they allow Trump to make the case for his coronavirus response — now the overarching issue of the election — outside the White House, as well as giving him a boost with positive local news coverage.
“Every president prioritizes domestic travel in swing states. Obama did it. Bush did it. Of course Trump is going to do it,” said Alex Conant, a former communications director for Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) 2016 presidential campaign. “These trips generate a lot of local media coverage, which is overwhelmingly favorable.”
Still, Trump’s decision not to wear a face mask on previous trips has somewhat distracted from his appearances on the road.
The Ford facility has a policy requiring everyone to wear personal protective equipment to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Trump told reporters Tuesday he hadn’t given much thought to whether he would wear a mask but didn’t rule it out.
“I will certainly look at it,” Trump said. “Where it’s appropriate, I would do it, certainly.”
Michigan was among the earliest states to implement a stay-at-home order. Whitmer on Monday issued an executive order that allows nonessential businesses to reopen in some regions of the state that haven’t been as severely impacted by the virus.
The president has sided with demonstrators in Michigan protesting Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders meant to curb the spread of the virus and suggested earlier this month she “give a little” to those opposing the restrictions. Whitmer has also faced a Republican lawsuit challenging her use of her emergency powers during the pandemic.
Whitmer isn’t the only Democratic governor to draw Trump’s ire.
Trump in late March accused her of unfairly blaming the federal government for the crisis and asked that she and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) be “appreciative” of the government’s efforts. He also suggested Vice President Pence not call either governor, referring to Whitmer as “the woman in Michigan.”
Meanwhile, polls have shown that more Michigan voters approve of Whitmer’s handling of COVID-19 than Trump’s response to the crisis.