President Joe Biden returned to the Motor City on Thursday, July 11 for a rally ahead of November’s presidential election. He spoke to a crowd of 2,000 at the Renaissance High School auditorium in Northwest Detroit on the importance of defeating Trump, as well as outlining his plan for the first 100 days in office.
Mayor Mike Duggan, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer spoke about their support for the president. The crowd was filled with supporters raising placards saying, “Motown is Joetown.”
“In the four years that Trump was President, and I was mayor, you know how many times Trump visited Detroit: Zero,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. He went on to talk about the money for revitalization that the city has received under the Biden administration, most notably $826.7 million received under the American Rescue Plan Act. $105 million of those funds went into Employment and Education. $7 million went into affordable housing services, such as down payment assistance for renters to become homeowners.
At one point early in his speech, President Biden expressed humility by apologizing to the crowd behind him for showing them his back. The crowd responded by chanting, “We’ve got your back!” The night was full of chants, but also full of promises about what his second term would bring.
Biden promised to reinstate Roe v. Wade, which would recognize the right to terminate pregnancy as an individual’s choice, not the government’s. He brought up tighter gun laws. In 2022, he signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a law that required gun sellers to become licensed dealers and run background checks on gun buyers. Pro-Union Biden was the first U.S. president to join a labor union on strike near Detroit just last year, a fact that he reminded his audience of at the rally.
Mid-speech a protester’s cries were heard in the crowd. The crowd then drowned out the protester with chants of “Four more years.”
“I understand your passion, that’s why I put together a detailed plan. The war [in Gaza] must end,” said President Biden, addressing the commotion in the crowd.
Pivoting back to his first 100 days’ plan, Biden added, “We all know it’s not enough just to be against something. You have to be for something.”
President Biden went on to promise in a second term he would act to:
- Restore Roe v. Wade
- Sign the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Expand and Strengthen Medicaid and Medicare
- End Medical Debt on credit reports
- Raise the Federal Minimum Wage
- Pass the PRO Act to End Union Busting
- Ban Assault Rifles
- America will Become a Leader in Clean Air and Clean Energy
- Make Child Tax Cuts Permanent
- Cap Medical Costs
- Make Housing More Affordable
- Raise Taxes on those making over $400,000
- Create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers
- Make Greencards for Spouses of Immigrants Accessible
Michigan – a swing state – will have 15 electoral votes up for grabs come November, having lost one electoral vote due to our loss of population relative to other states. In 2020, Michigan’s electoral votes were pivotal to Biden’s win. He won the state by a 150,000-vote margin. Of Michigan’s population of 10.1 million, 564,422 are Hispanic, according to the Census Bureau. These votes have power.
“I am running, and we’re going to win,” Biden said. “American’s want a president, not a dictator.”
Estefania Arellano-Bermudez is a lifelong Detroiter. She has published in the Telegram News and is a regular contributor to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News.
