STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., Jan. 12, 2026 – Macomb Defenders Rising forcefully opposes the presence of President Donald Trump in Detroit. He is coming to lie, cover for a record of cruelty that has devastated communities across this country, and spread propaganda to wealthy insiders while working families across Michigan continue to suffer the damage of his policies.
Trump undoubtedly wants to sell a shiny story about “economic strength.” But the ruinous reality is this: his tariffs, trade wars, and chaotic economic policies have driven up costs for working families, destabilized the supply chains Michigan depends on, and left small businesses struggling while corporate elites rake in windfalls. Meanwhile, Trump’s budget priorities have slashed support for essential programs and handed massive tax breaks to the billionaire class, proving yet again that his economy works for the rich, not for the regular people of Michigan.
Trump’s economic lies are inseparable from the violence and authoritarianism of his regime. His immigration and homeland security policies have transformed federal law enforcement into a roaming paramilitary force and a weapon of fear. ICE and CBP are not making our neighborhoods safer. They are terrorizing them. Families have been ripped apart, and communities have been forced to live under constant threat.
We reject the lies coming from the Trump regime that attempt to justify deadly force, brutality, and human rights violations as “public safety.” We reject the attempt to smear victims after the fact to excuse state violence. We honor Renee Nicole Good, an unarmed mother and U.S. citizen whose final words, “I’m not mad at you,” were spoken before she was executed at point blank range—without cause—by an ICE agent in Minneapolis just last week. And Renee is not alone. She is one of at least 32 people who have been killed in the streets or in federal detention by ICE and CBP under Trump’s watch. This is state-sanctioned violence, no different from the gang violence these agencies claim they exist to stop.
Trump’s contempt for human rights and the law does not stop at our borders. He has threatened and antagonized sovereign nations including Venezuela, Nigeria, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Greenland, and Iran—reckless provocations that undermine international law, ratchet up global instability, damage longstanding alliances such as NATO, and risk real conflict for ego and profit. Detroiters reject militarism and bullying disguised as “strength.”
And while Trump demands secrecy and fealty, his own Department of Justice has refused to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, withholding full, unredacted records that the law requires. An administration that hides what it fears—accountability—cannot claim to stand for justice or integrity.
Donald Trump can spin his propaganda to his base and the wealthy, but we will keep telling the truth: We do not want him here. We do not accept his lies. We do not accept cruelty dressed as governance. We do not accept economic devastation, militarized policing, or threats to democracy and global peace.
Detroit and Michigan are watching, and we are not fooled. We are organized. We are resisting. We are relentless. And tomorrow, Donald Trump will learn that he does not get to quietly come to our city and spread propaganda. He will be met by people who refuse his lies and reject his cruelty. Macomb Defenders Rising will continue to confront and resist his corrupt, violent agenda, and we will not be silenced or pushed aside.