Supporters, protesters gather to mark Trump’s 100th day

Editor’s note: While your local newspaper was denied credentials to cover the president’s remarks at Macomb Community College on April 29, our team of journalists spoke to those outside of the event who came to applaud or protest the first 100 days of his second term. Here is what they had to say. 

WARREN — Tien Tran, a resident of Fullerton, California, traveled from the West Coast to Warren to see President Donald Trump April 29 at the South Campus of Macomb Community College in Warren.

Trump, elected to his second term last November, held a rally at the local college to observe his first 100 days in office that has centered around tariffs, the Department of Government Efficiency, illegal immigration, securing the border and the possible dismantlement of the U.S. Department of Education.

“He’s a real leader. He cares about his people,” said Tran, 59, who wore a white suit, cowboy hat and Trump flair. “This is historic. This is an important event for the future of my three children.”

Tran was born in Vietnam and said he spent two years in a refugee camp before coming to the U.S. He is pleased the Trump administration has clamped down on illegal immigration through Immigration and Customs Enforcement and feels if people want to move to the U.S., they need to do it legally.

“We escaped communism. We lost South Vietnam 50 years ago. When you came here then you had to be vetted, you had to learn English and you learned how to adapt,” he said. “You came here to support yourself. The government doesn’t support you.”

Trump was scheduled to speak at 6 p.m., and attendees needed a ticket to get inside the Sports and Expo Center. Doors to his rally opened at 1:45 p.m. Many supporters — wearing Trump T-shirt, hats and buttons — lined up early in the day. Merchandisers sold everything from flags to bumper stickers, media lined up to speak to supporters, and there was a police presence.

Cheri Veradi, 56, of Adrian, stood in line in the early afternoon waiting for her sister and cousin.

“I want him to know he has a lot of support. I love how strong he is,” she said. “He makes the United States strong.”

On March 20, Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The department has not closed; by law, that would still have to go before Congress for a vote.

“I’m fine with that,” Veradi said of it possibly closing.

She commended the Republican president for working to secure the borders and deport known criminals.

“That needed to happen because of crime,” she said.

Veradi has attended about five Trump rallies.

“The camaraderie is what I love about them,” she said.

When asked why Trump supporters are viewed in a negative light, Veradi said “They think we’re bullies. I think it’s because we’re strong-minded people. But we welcome everybody.”

Nathaniel Baker drove from Lansing April 29 to attend his first Trump rally.

“He is a great person. Everyone here is nice, and they’re great people. They let you say what you mean. None of that fake news,” Baker, 27, said. “We just want what is best for the United States. It’s nice to see our president on TV every day.”

For Baker, a former Democrat, one of the biggest issues for him is the Mexico border, which he said is now “very secure.”

“He’s doing a good job getting rid of the people coming here illegally. Those people are gang leaders and violent people,” Baker said. “As long as you (come here) the right way, there’s no problem.”

Shah Mehdi, of Prentice, Wisconsin, and Norma Holm, of Hammond, Indiana, met a few years ago at a Trump rally. They keep in touch, and both made it to Macomb for the rally.

“I’m here to speak for my nine grandchildren,” Holm, 55, said. “I want them to have the same freedoms I had growing up. Liberalism is confusing to them. The woke agenda has affected the kids.”

Holm remembers seeing Trump appear on talk shows in the 1980s, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show” about what he would do “to help our country get stronger” if he ever ran for president.

“He’s executing that plan,” Holm said. “These tariffs aren’t going to be fine overnight, but it’s going to benefit us in the long run.”

Rob Cortis, of Livonia, brought the “Trump Unity Bridge” to the college campus. He drives the patriotic float across the country in an effort to unite it.

“It’s to spread the message of unity through Donald Trump. Since 2015, his campaign is to put America first,” Cortis said. “There are more people that like him that don’t, and the mainstream media doesn’t get the word out. They don’t tell the good side of the story. They don’t tell how good the tariffs work, how good the economy works.”

 

Hundreds gather to protest Trump
Hundreds of protestors fanned out on the corner of Hayes and 12 Mile roads to show their dissatisfaction with Trump. There was the persistent sound of car horns honking. There were also occasionally people who drove by to yell their support for Trump or yell obscenities at the crowd.

While many held up signs with the phrase “I Dissent,” there were a variety of messages displayed from Ukrainian solidarity to warnings of creeping authoritarianism. Some attendees wore black to symbolize loss.

Jon Halock, a Roseville resident, said Trump and his supporters have prioritized an earlier ideal of the American family, crowding out the LGBTQIA+ community. He ties this narrow vision of a preferred American into authoritarian movements of the past.

“I think trans people are under attack,” Halock said. “If we don’t have people out here doing this type of stuff, trans people are going to be the number one target. They can’t be. We have to put all Americans first, even conservatives. They deserve a right to be here and they need to understand so do we.”

Lisa Hile, who dressed in a cloak seen on the television show “The Handmaid’s Tale,” held up a sign that said “Unity is the Only Way.” Hile is from Lapeer and is a member of the Rural Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party. She came to stand against the politics of division and to “wake up” people.

“The reality is unity is the only way,” she said. “We need to lift up the we people and we need to take out the me people. We don’t care what side of the aisle that is at this point, but I’m looking to uplift the we people.”

Harrison Township resident Janet Stephens started an organization called Macomb Resistance, which gives women a place to talk politics in an often conservative county. She came out to the protest because she was concerned about education, women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and voting rights. Across the political divide, Stephens hopes there are some issues that can unite women.

“There’s a lot of things we have in common, especially women,” Stephens said. “Even though we aren’t on the same side, we still are women and now your children cannot have an abortion in certain states.”

Randy and Linda Priest traveled from Belleville to protest. They helped start a local chapter of Indivisible, a nonprofit that advocates for progressive causes. Linda is on Belleville’s library board and Randy is on the city council. The pair helped organize a recent protest in Canton along similar lines. Randy lamented the division in the country.

“The truth will set you free, but don’t block access to the truth,” Randy said. “A coin has two sides for a reason. Turn it over, talk to people in a civil way. Let them talk for a minute or two without interrupting then give your point of view.”

Linda wishes more young people would get involved.

“Be with your grandparents out there fighting for this country because we love it and we know you love it, but you don’t know how at risk it really is,” Linda said

Lindsay White, 50501 Michigan’s East Side Captain, is one of the event’s organizers. White said she felt alone after Trump’s 2024 election, but when she attended a 50501 protest in Lansing, she realized there were other people who felt the same way.

“I got hungry for that immediately and started organizing more,” the Madison Heights resident said.

White said one issue that motivates her to activism is the dismantling of the Department of Education. Her daughter is autistic and attends a school funded by the department.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand that what the DOE did was take care of children with special needs,” she said.

White said face-to-face interactions are more constructive than online discourse.

“Even when I meet a counterprotestor, we’re able to have a conversation with each other on a human level,” she said. “Protests like this are just a jumping off point for action. I’ve been able to reach out into the mutual aid sphere through protesting like this. It doesn’t have to all be about holding signs, it can be so much more if you want it to be.”