Former President Donald Trump is back in Michigan for rally

When then-President Donald Trump last visited Michigan in the wee hours of Election Day 2020, he told a crowd in Grand Rapids, in what would be his last speech of the campaign, that they'd better get out and vote for him or, "I'll be so angry, I'll never come back."

He apparently got over it.

Bringing with him 17 months' worth of unproven claims of vote rigging, lies about a stolen election and recriminations for Republican supporters he has deemed insufficiently loyal for refusing to overturn the election results, Trump is back in Michigan on Saturday evening. He will be headlining a rally that itself could serve to further split the state GOP and advance candidates who, while loyal to him, may not be best poised to sway voters in November.

For as much as he divides the public, however, Trump remains the Republicans' most visible figure and, for now at least, the person most likely to capture their nomination for president in 2024, a mantle he has suggested he may be willing to take up again. And with President Joe Biden's approval numbers hurt by high inflation and gas prices, a surge in migrant crossings at the southern border and ongoing uncertainty about the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump's visit comes at an opportune time.

Expect all of that — the hints of another presidential campaign, the grievances over the 2020 election, the way Trump feels he has been subjected to a witch hunt orchestrated by Congress and the courts — to be front and center. Less likely are indications that he may have committed illegal acts in trying to overturn the election, or his asking Russian leader Vladimir Putin for information on Biden's son, Hunter.

Or maybe they will be front and center as well. With Trump, it's hard to know in advance what he may end up talking about.

As for Michigan, which Trump lost to Biden by more than154,000 votes despite his claims — many of which even members of his own party in the state Legislature found unsupported — expect he'll insist he really won, without any solid evidence to do so. And expect those who will speak at the rally to support those claims, even as a U.S. House commission and the Justice Department dig into whether efforts to overturn the election, such as by trying to install alternate slates of electors as happened in Michigan or instigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, constituted criminal acts.

Here's what else to know about Saturday's rally:

Where and when, and can I still get tickets?

Trump's team is calling Saturday's event one in a series of "Save America" rallies to be held around the U.S. It is being held at the Michigan Stars Sports Center, 65665 Powell Road, in Washington Township. Parking, which may be tight, opens at 8 a.m. Doors to the event open at 2 p.m. The event begins at 4 p.m. and Trump is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Don't be surprised if it's even later, however: That's often the case with presidents, past or current.

For tickets, which are free and on a first-come, first-served basis, go to https://www.donaldjtrump.com/events.

Can I watch it somewhere?

Expect lots of local coverage of the event itself, including at freep.com. It wasn't entirely clear who might be covering it live on a night when the Final Four teams will be playing to determine who will be in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, but here are two good bets: C-SPAN is expected to carry a livestream on its app and its website, c-span.org. There also is an organization calling itself Right Side Broadcasting Network that has been livestreaming Trump events on YouTube and is expected to do so again. Also, the rally is being broadcast on NewsmaxTV.

Why is Trump back?

His handlers say the rally is "a continuation of President Trump’s unprecedented effort to advance the MAGA (Make America Great Again) agenda by energizing voters and highlighting America First candidates and causes." In Michigan, he's coming specifically to raise the profile of a couple of Republican candidates he has endorsed: Matthew DePerno, a lawyer who is running for the party's nomination for state attorney general, and Kristina Karamo, who is running for the nomination for secretary of state, the chief elections officer in Michigan.

Both candidates, by the way, have been strong supporters of Trump's unsupported claims that the 2020 election, including in Michigan, was corrupt and stolen from him.

Is Trump's coming to Michigan controversial?

It is. And here's why: Trump's endorsement of DePerno and Karamo comes ahead of an April 23 endorsement convention where the state Republican Party delegates will begin formally nominating candidates for down-ballot races, including attorney general and secretary of state. The nominees for other races, like governor or congressional seats, will be selected by the voters themselves during the Aug. 2 primary. And it's not only Trump who has made endorsements, but also state party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, a staunch Trump supporter who is expected to be at the rally.

Taken together, that has quite a few Republicans either privately or publicly upset. Party leaders and officials typically don't make endorsements ahead of primaries or the party's selection, not wanting to make it seem as though they are trying to dictate an outcome. In the case of DePerno and Karamo, some Republicans are making the case that their pro-Trump stances are extreme to a point where more mainstream voters will reject them. That could keep the party from winning in what is otherwise expected to be a favorable year.

Amid the turmoil, it's worth noting that while Maddock — whose husband, state Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, wants to be state House speaker — will be at the rally, state Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser won't, citing a schedule conflict. The Free Press also asked whether Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel — who lives in Northville and is a staunch supporter of the former president — would be there and got no answer.

Who else has Trump endorsed in Michigan and will they be there?

Trump has made a bunch of endorsements this year and last, some of which have been pretty confusing. For instance, he endorsed state Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, to run against U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, who voted to impeach Trump for instigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Trump dis-endorsed Carra and endorsed U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Township, in that race. Trump has endorsed about 10 people running for state legislative seats, most if not all of whom have a tie to Maddock and her husband, as well as some other folks running for Congress. That includes businessman John James, who lost two races for U.S. Senate after being endorsed by Trump, who is running in a newly drawn Macomb County district.

Expect most of those locally who have been endorsed by Trump to be in attendance, though it's only certain that two others are speaking — U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, who represents the area where the rally is being held, and John Gibbs, a former Trump administration official who is running for the Republican nomination against U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, who also voted to impeach Trump.

By the way, there is also a case many are making that, should Gibbs somehow beat the better-known Meijer in the Republican primary, it gives the Democrats and their top candidate, Hillary Scholten, a much better chance of flipping the district as it will be newly drawn in west Michigan.

Also by the way: Trump's endorsements in Michigan from his years as president did not pan out. Of the seven he made, according to the website Ballotpedia, only one — McClain's in 2020 — was for a winning candidate.

And one more thing: On Thursday, the Washington Examiner reported that a group calling itself the Integrity and Honor Fund started airing an ad in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump lives, telling him he should drop DePerno because he failed to win a court case questioning the election outcome and asked what had happened to nearly $400,000 DePerno apparently raised for an Election Fraud Defense Fund. That same question has been put to DePerno by former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, who is also running for the Republican nomination for attorney general, and the Detroit News editorial page.

How about a candidate for governor?

As for Michigan's marquee race this election cycle — the race for governor — Trump has yet to endorse a candidate for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this fall.

Politically speaking, that makes some sense, given that no front-runner has emerged. But it's still entirely possible the former president could make a decision sometime, possibly soon. And whatever his delay, it's not for lack of suitors.

At least seven of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination were expected to attend Saturday’s rally. That includes former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson, Norton Shores businesswoman Tudor Dixon, Ottawa County real estate agent Ryan Kelley, Oakland County pastor Ralph Rebandt, Livingston County evangelist Bob Scott, and Grand Rapids businesswoman Donna Brandenburg.

As for the others, Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano is on a spring break vacation with his two young sons and is unable to attend, and Michigan State Police Capt. Mike Brown, of Stevensville, cited a prior campaign commitment. Grand Haven financial adviser Michael Markey said he also would be on a previously scheduled family vacation Saturday.

Also, as of Friday, Oakland County businessman and former auto dealer Kevin Rinke said he hadn't made a decision as to whether to attend, a spokeswoman said.

How big a crowd is expected?

This is an often tricky issue with Trump, who has a habit of inflating his crowd sizes. In this case, township officials say they expect somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 people.

It's anyone's guess if that number will be low or high. But it does have some fire officials in Washington Township concerned. For one thing, they say the rally is outside the approved use of the Michigan Stars Sports Center space, and it's possible the number of attendees could be well above the site's safe occupancy limit. There also are questions about whether there is enough parking and what the effect of traffic will be on local roads.

Why does the Free Press call Trump's claims about 2020 baseless?

This gets a little complicated, but the long and short of it is that there has been no credible evidence found, in numerous audits, court cases and other efforts, to back up Trump's claims of widespread election fraud in any state, including Michigan, where he made those allegations.

Democratic and Republican election challengers observed the vote count across Michigan, including in Detroit, where Trump wrongly claimed that invalid ballots appeared mysteriously in the middle of the night. Officials from both parties reviewed and certified the results. Courts rejected challenges to the outcome as based on misunderstanding, conspiracy and conjecture. Post-election audits confirmed that voting machines accurately read ballots. Trump's own attorney general, William Barr, told Trump that a look into allegations of corruption in Detroit found them baseless.

A comprehensive investigation led by GOP lawmakers uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud and told voters they should have confidence that Joe Biden legitimately won Michigan. And a review by the Associated Press identified 56 potential instances of voter fraud in Michigan, nowhere near enough to have tipped the outcome of the election, which Biden won in the state by more than 154,000 votes.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former President Donald Trump is back in Michigan for rally