Trump insults Detroit during speech … in Detroit

Donald Trump attacked the city of Detroit in a speech he was giving while stumping for votes in Detroit.

The former US president and Republican nominee was speaking on Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club in the city, which is the biggest city in Michigan – one of the most crucial swing states in the 2024 US election.

But Trump, whose speeches are frequently rambling and lengthy discourses rather than set piece deliveries, could not stop himself from lambasting the city in which he was speaking by pointing to Detroit’s recent history of economic decline from its heyday as the home of American car production.

As he was speaking about China being a developing nation, Trump said: “Well, we’re a developing nation too, just take a look at Detroit. Detroit’s a developing area more than most places in China.”

He later returned to the theme, warning of an economic disaster if his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, wins in November’s election.

“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.

Michigan polling shows Harris and Trump still caught up in a very tight race.

Detroit has struggled in the face of the decline of American manufacturing. Just over a decade ago the city became the largest municipality in the country to file for bankruptcy.

But Detroit has also been touted as a symbol of an American post-industrial city in recovery with numerous projects aimed at revitalizing its downtown and attempts to repair and reinvest in its housing stock. In May the city reported a population rise for the first time in decades.