GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — The Trump Train’s final stop was not a heartfelt appeal to voters in a crucial state on the GOP nominee’s path to the White House.
Instead, it was a winding road of his greatest hits — the same riffs that earned him notoriety through the primaries and were pillars of his general election message, despite the efforts of advisers.
Assuming the stage for his fifth appearance of the day, Trump seemed worn but kept his usual confidence including the classic call-and-response: “Who’s going to pay for the wall? MEXICO!”
Trump declared Tuesday “our Independence Day” and looked forward to closing “the history books on the Clintons and their lies and schemes and corruption.”
"We are hours away from a once in a lifetime change," he said.
Trump swore an end to Syrian refugees being let into the U.S. and laid the groundwork for “a lot” more visits to the Mitten state as he works to bring jobs and factories back here.
A woman walking by the press pen apologized for fellow Americans who have lashed out over the course of the campaign. “You don’t deserve it,” she said, before admitting she was attending as a Hillary supporter simply to confirm her choice. After her, a man passed and pointed to the press: “You’re terrible. Terrible.” A reporter wished him a good night in response.
As he closed, Trump trod a well-worn rhetorical path of asking his people to get out and vote. “God bless you, everybody. Go to bed, go to bed right now,” he said to those dedicated enough to wait an hour and a half beyond scheduled start time for their nominee to take the stage.
