Former President Donald Trump pointed out that President Joe Biden had previously visited a city that the Harris campaign has claimed is “the KKK capital of Michigan.”
After his speech in Howell, Michigan, a reporter asked Trump to respond to attacks from Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign regarding Trump’s visit.
The reporter asked Trump to “respond to Kamala Harris’s campaign attacking” him for being in Howell, pointing to it being linked to white supremacy.
“Who was here in 2021?” Trump asked the reporter, as people in the crowd could be heard booing.
“Joe Biden,” the reporter answered.
“Thank you,” Trump said.
Alyssa Bradley, who serves as the communications director for the Harris campaign in Michigan, issued a statement on Monday slamming Trump for his upcoming visit to Howell, noting that Trump wants to take the United States “back to the days of the KKK,” according to the Hill.
“His visit underscores the core choice in this election – between a prosecutor and a criminal, someone who has spent her life making communities safer and someone who encourages violence, and someone who will build a future where all Michiganders can get ahead and someone who wants to take us back to the days of the KKK,” Bradley said in a statement.
Howell has reportedly “been associated with” the Ku Klux Klan, according to the outlet:
The town has long been associated with the klan, in large part as a result of meetings that Robert Miles, a former Michigan Grand Dragon of the klan, held at his nearby farm many decades ago. The city has worked to distance itself from that reputation, but it occaisonally faces obstacles.
Bradley went on to point out that Trump had not condemned protesters who marched through downtown Howell in June, with “white supremacist slogans” and chanting their support for Trump, while other protesters nearby chanted, “We love Hitler. We love Trump,” according to the outlet.
In October 2021, Biden visited Howell, where he talked about his “Build Back Better” plan. Hundreds of Trump supporters were reported to have gathered in Howell in protest of Biden’s visit.