Advance Notice: Briefs

Updated: Final four days: Obama, Biden going to Flint, Detroit; Trump planning 4 stops*

By: Susan J. Demas - October 30, 2020 6:33 am

President Barack Obama hugs Mari Copeny, 8, backstage at Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., May 4, 2016. Mari wrote a letter to the President about the Flint water crisis.| Pete Souza via Flickr Public Domain

Updated, 10:19 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.10/30/20

In a whirlwind final four days before Election Day, both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden have trips planned to Michigan.

Biden is reuniting with former President Barack Obama with drive-in events in Flint and Detroit on Saturday, the Biden campaign confirmed Friday morning.* U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Biden’s running mate, campaigned in Detroit and made other Southeast Michigan stops on Sunday.

Vice President Mike Pence was just in Flint Wednesday, where he suggested systemic racism didn’t exist, in spite of a state report citing it as a factor in the Flint water crisis.

Trump also raised the water crisis Thursday night in an angry tweet against GOP former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder after he was on Fox News discussing why he endorsed Biden. Trump blasted Snyder, whose governorship was marred by the Flint water crisis, as a “RINO” and a “disaster.”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1321958690379821056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1321958690379821056%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.detroitnews.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2020%2F10%2F29%2Fpresident-trump-targets-rick-snyder-ahead-michigan-visit%2F6079295002%2F

Trump is scheduled to do a rally Friday at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford Township, following a rally in Lansing on Tuesday.

The GOP president is planning stops in Washington Township in Macomb County on Sunday, Traverse City on Monday and Grand Rapids on Monday, his campaign announced Friday afternoon.* Trump is replicating some of his 2016 schedule in Michigan, which he won by 10,704 votes, helping him to win in the Electoral College — and he’s no doubt hoping for nostalgic headlines.

Biden leads Trump by 8.1 points in Michigan in the FiveThirtyEight polling average. Michigan is the third-most likely state to be the “tipping point” in the Electoral College, per FiveThirtyEight. Pennsylvania is, far and away, the top tipping point state, followed by Florida. After Michigan come Wisconsin, Arizona and Minnesota.

Various surrogates for the campaigns have been stumping across Michigan in recent weeks. Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and singer Lizzo have done events for Biden. Several of Trump’s children — Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany — have campaigned for their father.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Susan J. Demas

Susan J. Demas is a 21-year journalism veteran and one of the state’s foremost experts on Michigan politics, appearing on MSNBC, CNN, NPR and WKAR-TV’s “Off the Record.” In addition to serving as Editor-in-Chief, she is the Advance’s chief columnist, writing on women, LGBTQs, the state budget, the economy and more. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Farough & Associates, Michigan’s premier political communications firm. For almost five years, Susan was the Editor and Publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, the most-cited political newsletter in the state. Susan’s award-winning political analysis has run in more than 80 national, international and regional media outlets, including the Guardian U.K., NBC News, the New York Times, the Detroit News and MLive. She is the only Michigan journalist to be named to the Washington Post’s list of “Best Political Reporters,” the Huffington Post’s list of “Best Political Tweeters” and the Washington Post’s list of “Best Political Bloggers.” Susan was the recipient of a prestigious Knight Foundation fellowship in nonprofits and politics. She served as Deputy Editor for MIRS News and helped launch the Michigan Truth Squad, the Center for Michigan’s fact-checking project. She started her journalism career reporting on the Iowa caucuses for The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette. Susan has hiked over 4,000 solo miles across four continents and climbed more than 70 mountains. She also enjoys dragging her husband and two teenagers along, even if no one else wants to sleep in a tent anymore.

Related News

Michigan communities host Juneteenth events celebrating culture, education and activism

Michigan communities host Juneteenth events celebrating… by Kyle Davidson June 15, 2022

‘He’s doing their bidding’: Critics say Republicans use auditor general for partisan attacks

‘He’s doing their bidding’: Critics say Republicans use… by Anna Gustafson April 17, 2022

'Where is the justice for Benton Harbor?' by Anna Gustafson November 9, 2021