DETROIT _ Calling Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a candidate from the past who will merely continue the policies that have destroyed cities like Detroit, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a business crowd in Detroit that he is the best agent for change in America.
"The city of Detroit is where our story begins. Detroit was once the once the economic envy of the world," he said. "When we were governed by the America-first policy, Detroit was absolutely booming ... But for many living in this city, that dream has long ago vanished. When we abandoned the policy of America first, we started rebuilding other countries instead of our own. The skyscrapers went up in Beijing while factories and neighborhoods crumbled right here in Detroit."
While Trump's speech was billed as his economic vision for the country, he spent a large amount of his nearly hourlong speech to 1,500 people at the Detroit Economic Club, lashing out against Clinton.
The Democratic Party has reached into the past to select "a nominee from yesterday, who offers the rhetoric of yesterday and the policies of yesterday. There will be no change under Hillary Clinton, only four more years of weakness and President Obama," Trump said. "We'll be looking boldly into the future. That is what our country deserves.
"American cars will travel the roads, American planes will connect our cities and American ships will patrol the seas. American steel will send new skyscrapers soaring all over our country," he added.
Trump offered glimpses of his economic plan, adding that he will roll out more details in the coming weeks, Among the policy proposals he outlined was a proposal to reduce the number of income tax brackets from seven to three and will eliminate income taxes for individuals who earn less than $25,000 or $50,000 for married couples.
He hammered Clinton for her support for NAFTA and predicted that she will approve the Trans Pacific Partnership if she's elected. Clinton has said she opposes the TPP and is willing to renegotiate NAFTA.
"A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for TPP and NAFTA. Before NAFTA went into effect, there were 285,000 auto workers in Michigan. Today that number is only 160,000," Trump said. "Detroit is still waiting for Hillary Clinton's apology. She's been a disaster. I expect Detroit will get that apology right around the same time Hillary Clinton turns over those 33,000 emails she deleted."
His plan comes on the heels of the appointment of a new economic policy team last week, made up of 13 men, including hedge fund managers, real estate developers and other businessmen.
Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, said that as long as Trump stays on message, he'll be competitive in the state.
"He's got to stay on message and stick with the things that got him the nomination: the economy and jobs. Those are the things that people look to him as being a change agent," she said, noting that polling in the race doesn't favor her preferred candidate. "Polling is a snapshot of what's happening and coming out the Democratic convention, we expected Hillary to get a bounce. She got a little bigger bounce than we expected. He had a rough week and the polls reflected. A lot of voters don't make up their mind until the final days of the election "
Kelly Rossman McKinney, co-owner of the Lansing-based Truscott Rossman consulting firm, said she was surprised that Trump didn't get rattled by the 14 hecklers who periodically interrupted his speech before being escorted out.
"It was more presidential than most of the presentations he's been known for. He looked and sounded presidential," said Rossman McKinney, an "unabashed" supporter of Clinton. "But there were some things that he did and said that were disappointing to a Detroit audience _ not acknowledging Detroit's comeback and what's happened to the automotive industry, but that would have been acknowledging that President Obama's policies have actually worked for Detroit. To make Detroit sound like such an abysmal place when you're speaking to the host city today probably wasn't the best move."
On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will offer her vision for creating jobs in the U.S. through investing in the country's infrastructure and manufacturing communities.
