Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks Thursday in East Lansing, Michigan, during a stop on the “Driving Forward Blue Wall Bus Tour” of Democratic governors. Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said former President Donald Trump needs to “stop sh-t-talking America,” after the GOP nominee bad-mouthed Detroit twice in a week while on the campaign trail.
Shapiro, a Democrat, made the remark Thursday during a stop in Flint, Michigan, on the “Driving Forward Blue Wall Bus Tour.” That barnstorming event of Democratic governors was organized by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and included Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey — one tenth of the nation’s governors in the Michigan State University Union’s ballroom at one stop.
“This is not a common thing, to have four other governors come to your state to help rally people,” Whitmer said.
With Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, expected to win easily in Maryland, Moore told the crowd in East Lansing that residents of blue states are counting on the residents of swing states like Michigan to determine the outcome of the election.
“We need you to be our representatives,” Moore said.
Whitmer, Shapiro and Evers are jointly touring their states, each of which is expected to be key to a Harris path to victory in November. But Shapiro said they are also united by Trump attacks on cities in their states, pointing to the comments about Detroit and remarks made leading up to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, before adding, “I’m sick and tired of him attacking Philadelphia.”
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“A guy who wants to lead the greatest nation on Earth keeps attacking his fellow Americans,” Shapiro said. “Donald Trump better stop shit-t-lking America, stop talking down to Americans and start lifting people up.”
Trump said during a visit to Detroit last week that “our whole country will end up being like Detroit” if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in November — a comment the Harris campaign quickly turned into an ad. He doubled down Tuesday in Chicago, calling Detroit an example of the United States being a “third-world nation.”
“We’re a developing nation, too. Take a look at Detroit, take a look at our cities,” Trump said during an appearance before the Economic Club of Chicago.
Whitmer’s federal political action committee announced a six-figure radio advertising purchase Thursday focused on Trump’s comments.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison joined the governors at the Flint Farmers’ Market for a stop Thursday.
“The other party likes to say, ‘Make America great again.’ In essence, what they’re saying is that America’s greatness is in her past,” Harrison said. “But we in the Democratic Party understand that America’s greatness isn’t in her past; it’s in her future.”
The bus tour kicked off in Wisconsin earlier this week and will continue on to Pennsylvania after spending three days in Michigan. Shapiro and Evers credited Whitmer with the idea to embark on the tour, which was planned and executed through her Fight Like Hell Political Action Committee.
Whitmer said that by planning the tour themselves, the governors can “be more nimble” in deciding which areas of each state to visit than if the events were organized through the Harris campaign apparatus.
“One of the things that we wanted to do was to be able to get into communities in a way that the official Harris-Walz campaign can’t,” Whitmer said of the Democratic presidential ticket.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, left, speaks Thursday at the Flint Farmers’ Market during a stop on the “Driving Forward Blue Wall Bus Tour,” as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro looks on. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Whitmer pointed out that each stop Thursday was taking place in an area with a key U.S. House race — and that they weren’t limited exclusively to heavily blue areas.
“I also want to do a little bit of outreach to people who are maybe, you know, [former Michigan Gov. Rick] Snyder Republicans or [former Michigan Gov. Bill] Milliken Republicans – or even [former President Ronald] Reagan Republicans,” Whitmer said. “If you don’t see a Trump presidency as something that represents your values, there’s a seat for you at the table.”
Healey warned that many moderate Republicans, who at times served as a check on Trump during his first term, would no longer be in government during a potential second term.
“He was able to appoint judges to courts, so we don’t have that protection this go-around,” Healey said. “Even in a state like Massachusetts, I tell folks that I can only do so much as governor.
“Everything is on the line here, because the way he speaks, the way he wants to weaponize, the way he wants to retaliate, the way he wants to withhold funding — say nothing of the misinformation and the chaos he’s going to foment — we’re all at risk here,” Healey said.
– This story first appeared in Michigan Advance, a part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.