By Jeff Mason and Gram Slattery
WARREN, Michigan (Reuters) -President Donald Trump arrived in Michigan on Tuesday to kick off a pair of events commemorating his first 100 days in office, aiming to reassure Americans about the country’s direction as many have balked at his handling of the economy.
Speaking briefly at a National Guard base, Trump touted his administration’s investments in defense and praised the foreign policy record of his first administration, from 2017 to 2021.
He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was doing a “great job,” without mentioning recent disclosures that he discussed highly sensitive military information with several personal acquaintances.
And, in a relatively rare moment of bipartisanship, the president lavished praise on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. He said she had played a key role in “saving” the Selfridge Air National Guard Base northeast of Detroit, where local media reported concerns about the base’s future last year.
“I’ll be supporting a record-setting $1 trillion investment in our national defense,” said Trump, speaking before dozens of troops, as well as Whitmer and Hegseth.
During the speech, he said the base in Selfridge would be receiving 21 Boeing F-15X jets. Whitmer said in a statement the move secured the base’s mission and was a “huge, bipartisan win for Michigan” that will protect jobs.
On Air Force One earlier on Tuesday, Trump signed an order to soften the blow of his auto tariffs with a mix of credits and relief from other levies. Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC he had reached one deal with a foreign power, which he declined to name, that should permanently ease the “reciprocal” tariffs Trump plans to impose.
Trump later spoke at an evening rally in Warren, near Detroit. That event, his biggest since assuming office on January 20, was an opportunity for him to tout what his administration sees as his core achievements in the opening months of his second non-consecutive term.
The event will likely also be an opportunity for the president to reassure voters in the politically competitive automaking state that he is a good economic steward.
A three-day Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Sunday showed that 42% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance so far, while 53% disapproved. That is down from 47% approval in the Reuters/Ipsos poll in January.
The share of respondents who approved of Trump’s economic stewardship was only 36% in the latest survey, the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017-2021 presidency.
Fears of a recession have surged in recent weeks as Trump has launched a global trade war, hiking tariffs so high that economists warn that trade with some countries – notably China – could grind nearly to a halt. The moves have shaken investors and companies.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Warren, Michigan and Gram Slattery in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman)
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