WALKER, Mich. (WOOD) — Former President Donald Trump campaigned in metro Grand Rapids Friday, promising to revitalize the automotive industry if elected in November.

“Hello to Michigan. We’re going to bring back your car industry,” Trump greeted the crowd gathered Friday afternoon at FALK Production in Walker.

The beginning of his speech was packed with the fiery anti-immigration rhetoric that has long been central to his campaign, with Trump blaming crime on people who enter the country illegally. He claimed other countries are “dumping” “murderers” and “horrible criminals” in the United States — a claim that the Associated Press reports there is no evidence to support. He criticized his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration policy.

“(Harris) should resign in disgrace for what she’s done for our country, not run for president,” Trump said. “It’s not sustainable by any country what’s happening to us in the United States.”

He promised to “close the border” and deport people who have entered the country illegally.

Trump also repeated his well-debunked claims that Democrats “cheated” in the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden.

After talking about immigration, Trump pivoted to talk about the economy and manufacturing, blaming “stupid politicians” and “stupid people who ran the companies into the ground” for the loss of jobs.

“Foolish and corrupt politicians forced Michigan workers to watch as the jobs and the factories were leached from Grand Rapids and Detroit and Lansing and Flint and sent to foreign lands, way far away,” Trump said, specifically mentioning China. “With your vote, we’re going to reclaim America’s manufacturing power.”

He promised to strengthen the automotive industry by placing high tariffs on foreign-built cars and rolling back Biden administration policies encouraging the production and sale of electric vehicles.

“Under my plan, American workers will no longer be worried about losing your jobs to foreign nations. Foreign nations will be worried about losing their jobs to America because we’re going to take a lot of those companies back,” Trump said.

He outlined tax policies to promote domestic manufacturing of all types. He also said his policies would lower energy costs and taxes and limit government regulations.

“If I win, we will bring back the American dream bigger, better stronger than ever before,” Trump said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who previously suspended his presidential campaign and backed Trump; and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who Trump has endorsed to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, also spoke at the rally.

Earlier Friday, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, all Michigan Democrats, rejected Trump’s economic policies, blaming him for manufacturing jobs moving overseas.

“[Harris] will ensure that our state continues to be at the forefront of innovative technologies, and that we remain home to the best manufacturers in the world. Just look at her record. After Trump spent four years sending Michigan jobs overseas, Kamala Harris got to work bringing them back, and she cast the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act,” Stabenow said in a statement.

“So we’re facing global competition, and when you face global competition, you need a leader of the United States who believes that the United States can out compete anybody in the world. And that’s Kamala Harris,” Peters stated. “…Donald Trump’s not a friend of labor. Donald Trump’s not a friend of the auto industry. And Donald Trump is not a friend of Michigan. And that’s why I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that Kamala Harris is elected as the next President of the United States.”

The Walker Police Department said Bristol Avenue between 3 Mile and 4 Mile roads, as well as Northridge between Shipper’s Drive and Bristol, would be closed from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drivers were advised to avoid the area. There were also temporary road closures for Trump’s motorcade.

After the campaign stop in Walker, Trump was expected at Macomb Community College on the other side of the state to host a town hall to discuss the auto industry, his campaign said.

The Friday visit came just over a week after Trump spoke to voters in Flint and his vice presidential pick JD Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, campaigned in Sparta Township. Vice President Harris was also in Michigan last week to discuss her plans to cut costs for the middle class, restore a national right to abortion and address gun violence.

Michigan is a key state on the path to the White House, and both candidates know it.

“We win Michigan, we win the whole thing,” Trump said Friday.

In a reversal from his 2020 rhetoric, he spoke positively of absentee voting, which started in Michigan this week.

“If you have your ballot, return it as soon as possible. And if not … go out and get a ballot. Get as many Trump supporters as you can,” he said.

A poll conducted by Emerson College Polling, The Hill and WOOD TV8 released last week indicated a tight race in Michigan: 49% of those surveyed said they would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and 47% said they would vote for former President Donald Trump. With the poll’s margin of error at plus or minus 3.2%, that’s a statistical dead heat.