President Donald Trump held a rally at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, on Monday, July 27, 2026, where he proclaimed that “Michigan is thriving” and “America is winning like never before.” The event, held just eight days before Michigan’s primary election, focused on the economy and Trump’s past performance, issues expected to be central to the upcoming midterm elections.
During his address, Trump declared, “Ladies and gentlemen of Michigan, the golden age of America is upon us.” He was accompanied by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Representatives Lisa McClain and Tim Walberg of Michigan. At the GM facility, Trump met with CEO Mary Barra and company President Mark Reuss, and he commented on the positive impact of tariffs on General Motors.
The rally also featured speeches from other Republican candidates, including U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Rogers and U.S. Representative John James, whom Trump has endorsed for governor. James emphasized the choice facing Michigan voters, stating, “Michigan now has a choice in this election: freedom or socialism, nonsense or crazy, what works versus what doesn’t.”
Bridge Michigan fact-checked several of Trump’s claims made during the event:
Auto Industry “is back”
Trump asserted that the auto industry and America are “back” and leading Michigan forward. While the administration pointed to planned industry investments, including GM’s $4 billion investment to build vehicles in the U.S. to mitigate the impact of tariffs, actual job numbers present a more nuanced picture. Michigan experienced a loss of approximately 4,000 auto parts manufacturing jobs in the year ending June 2026, with only a partial offset by the addition of about 500 vehicle manufacturing jobs.
Prices and Inflation
Trump claimed, “We’ve brought down prices,” and cited a recent report indicating inflation had decreased faster than in the previous six years. This statement about the rate of inflation’s decline for one month is factually correct, bringing the annual rate down to 3.5% in June 2026. However, this followed a three-year high in May, and most prices have not decreased. Federal data showed average prices for goods in the Detroit region were up about 4% year-over-year in June, with food, housing, and fuel also seeing increases in the broader Midwest region.
Trade Deficit
Trump claimed his global tariffs reduced the trade deficit by 71% worldwide. This figure is based on selective metrics and does not reflect current trade levels. While a specific period between March and October 2025 saw a 71% deficit decline due to tariff impacts, this was characterized by significant fluctuations. More recent data for May 2026 showed the trade deficit increased by nearly 14% compared to the same month in 2025. The trade deficit with China also declined significantly, but this was accompanied by a substantial drop in U.S. exports to China.
Job Protections
Trump stated that a legislative bill “saved more than 170,000 Michigan jobs.” This claim refers to hypothetical job savings from tax cut extensions signed in July 2025. While consistent with projections from the National Association of Manufacturers, which lobbied for the bill, manufacturing jobs in Michigan have largely stagnated. The state lost approximately 7,000 manufacturing jobs in the year ending in June 2026, a 1.2% decline.
Border Crossings
Trump asserted that “Zero people have come through our border illegally” for 15 consecutive months. While illegal border crossings have significantly decreased under his administration compared to previous years, they have not ceased entirely. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicates hundreds of thousands of southwest border land encounters in fiscal year 2026 and nearly 444,000 in 2025, a substantial reduction from 2024.
Ford Investment
Trump highlighted Ford’s investment of “$3 billion to build parts of its new pickup truck in central Michigan.” This investment refers to the BlueOval Battery Park, plans for which were announced in February 2023, before Trump returned to office, and were part of a deal leveraging tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. Ford had previously scaled back its plans for the facility in April 2024. As of June 2026, the facility employed 500 people, with plans for 800 workers by year’s end.
GM’s Best Year
Trump claimed that GM had “the best year they’ve ever had.” However, GM did not achieve its best year for sales or profits in 2025. The company reported approximately $2.7 billion in income for the year, significantly lower than the $10 billion reported in 2023. Profits were impacted by retooling costs associated with the transition away from prior electric vehicle investments. While GM sold 2.8 million vehicles in the U.S. in 2025, making it the top automaker in domestic sales, this figure was still below the 3 million vehicles sold annually in the mid-2010s. Globally, GM’s sales of 6.18 million vehicles in 2025 were well below the 10 million sold in 2010.
The 2020 Election
During the rally, John James stated, “Thank you, Mr. President, for coming back to Michigan, where you’ve won three times.” This statement is factually incorrect. Joe Biden officially won Michigan by 154,188 votes in 2020, and a subsequent investigation by a Republican-led committee found no evidence of widespread fraud. While James previously affirmed Biden’s election, he has more recently claimed the election was rigged.