US President Donald Trump has kicked off a pair of events in Michigan commemorating his first 100 days in office, aiming to reassure Americans about the country's direction.
"Watch what's happening — the companies are coming in by the tens. You gotta see what's happening. They all want to come back to Michigan and build cars again," Trump said at a rally in Macomb Community College, north of Detroit, on Tuesday.
"We're here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country — and that's according to many, many people," Trump said.
"This is the best, they say, 100-day start of any president in history — and everyone is saying it."
Speaking earlier 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.
'$1 trillion investment in national defense'
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.
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.
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 his 2017-2021 presidency.
