NOVI, Mich. (AP) – Donald Trump further denigrated Detroit while appealing for votes in a suburb of the country's largest city on Saturday Swing state Michigan.

“I think Detroit and some of our areas are making us a developing country,” the former president told his supporters in Novi. He said people want him to say Detroit is “great” but he thinks it “needs help.”

The Republican candidate for the White House told a business group in Detroit earlier this month that “the whole country is going to end up like Detroit” if Democrat Kamala Harris wins the presidency. That comment drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who praised the city for its recent development Decrease in crime And growing population.

Trump later traveled to Pennsylvania, another key swing state, where he appealed to young voters by promising them better conditions to start their careers.

Trump's stop in Novi after one Friday night event in Traverse Cityis a sign of Michigan's importance in the tight race. Harris held a rally in Kalamazoo on Saturday with former first lady Michelle Obama sharply denouncing Trump and asking why it was close, saying: “I lay awake at night wondering, 'What in the world is going on?'”

Candidates in the final stretch of the campaign have frequently visited Michigan, a state that Trump won in 2016 but that Democrat Joe Biden won four years later.

Michigan is home to major automobile companies and the nation's largest concentration of United Auto Workers members. It also has one significant Arab-American populationand many were frustrated by the Biden administration's support for Israel's offensive in Gaza following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

During his rally, Trump spotlighted local Muslim and Arab American leaders who joined him on stage. Those voters “could swing the election one way or the other,” Trump said, adding that he was counting on “overwhelming support” from those voters in Michigan.

“When President Trump was president, there was peace,” said one of those leaders, Mayor Bill Bazzi of Dearborn Heights. “We didn't have any problems. There were no wars.”

While Trump seeks to capitalize on popular frustration with the Democratic government, he has a history of pursuing policies hostile to this group, including, among other things, Travel ban target Muslim countries during his term and make a commitment to expand to include refugees from Gaza if he wins on November 5th.

A Trump ally, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the grandson of Lebanese immigrants, told reporters that Trump had won the support of more Arab Americans and cultivated relationships with Middle Eastern leaders that would bring greater stability to the region.

In extensive remarks to his supporters, Trump used familiar remarks against Harris and the media and promoted the immigration and energy policies that are cornerstones of the campaign. He said, for example, that immigrants are “taking the jobs of the black population and the jobs of the Hispanic population.” Government data contradicts this claimThis shows that immigrant workers contribute to economic growth and provide advancement opportunities for native-born workers.

Later Saturday, Trump traveled to State College in Pennsylvania, home of Penn State University. He told a crowd that included more young people than usual that under his leadership they would “inherit the freest, strongest and most powerful nation on earth.”

“If you vote for me, I will ensure that you, young people, begin your careers in a booming economy at a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity,” he said.

He repeatedly praised the university's wrestling team, which won the national championships, and invited several of his athletes to the stage to shake his hand.

At both campaign stops on Saturday, Trump drew attention to how a Influx of Haitian migrants have impacted Springfield, Ohio. But he shied away from repeating it false claims about immigrants eating petsa narrative that has been rejected by members of both parties and triggered bomb threats at some schools and government buildings.

Trump took the stage an hour and 40 minutes after he was originally scheduled to speak. An hour after his address, the crowd at the back of the arena had become noticeably empty, especially as kickoff of Sunday night's Penn State game at Wisconsin approached.

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Swenson reported from New York.