President Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office on Tuesday by visiting the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County, where he announced a new fighter jet mission at the base. This week on MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben and Zach Gorchow spoke about the base’s history and significance to the region.

Also, Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) stopped by to talk about his run for governor and his vision for the state.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode:

• President Trump rallies in Michigan for 100th day
• Historical and political significance of Selfridge
• Sen. Nesbitt’s vision for Michigan

Nesbitt is joined by U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) and former U.S. House candidate Anthony Hudson in seeking the GOP nomination in Michigan’s gubernatorial race. On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have both launched campaigns, while Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running as an Independent candidate.

Nesbitt spoke with Kasben and Gorchow about what his “common sense” priorities would be if he were chosen as the state’s next governor.

“I’m working around the state, I’m going to put together a campaign that’s  going to put Michigan first, and a campaign that’s going to offer positive conservative solutions to fix some of the deepest problems in Michigan,” Nesbitt said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been both lauded and criticized in recent weeks for her attempts to bend Trump’s ear about her state’s priorities. But the Democratic governor has responded to her critics by pointing to the results her meetings with Trump have yielded — including the 21 new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets replacing the aging A-10 squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County. 

Nesbitt says Whitmer’s collaboration with Trump has been good to see.

“I think people expect leaders to be able to work to get things done,” he said. “And believe me, I’m not going to agree with the governor and neither is President Trump going to agree with the governor on things like men competing in women’s sports — she seems to support that and we’re opposed to that — or having all this money spent on DEI initiatives — I’m going to actively oppose any of that and so is President Trump…but as I look at it, having President Trump come to Michigan to celebrate his first 100 days shows the importance of Michigan; how much he cares about Michigan.”

More from WDET:

• Whitmer on dealmaking with Trump: ‘I will fight back when I need to’
• President Trump marks 100 days in office with Macomb County trip
• MichMash: Sen. Nesbitt on trying to find ‘common ground’ with Michigan Democrats

President Donald Trump will be celebrating 100 days in office Tuesday with a trip to Macomb County.

Trump’s visit comes as Americans remain divided over policies like his mass deportation strategy, cuts to the federal workforce, and tariffs.

Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad praised the president for trying to make good on campaign promises and supported the pace it’s happening at.

“What he’s doing is making real change that is going to strategically make a huge difference in cutting the waste, fraud, and abuse here in the United States, and also making sure that we have an incredible economic policy going forward,” Runestad said.

Runestad said he expects the nearby Selfridge Air National Guard base and new investments from Stellantis in Detroit to come up during Trump’s speech.

Earlier in the month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp) discussed brining a new mission to Selfridge during a White House visit with Trump.

While Republicans celebrate Trump’s return to the White House, Democrats say the country is now worse off. Tuesday morning, the DNC released its own rundown of Trump’s time in office.

The Democrats’ “snapshot” cites federal numbers that show Michigan was among the leaders in new unemployment claims for the most recent period, with more than 80,000 unemployment claims filed in the state since Trump took office. (There were more than 230,000 new claims in the state during the first 100 days of the Biden administration, though that time coincided with emergency orders and a surge in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.) 

Democrats also say Trump’s actions could put heavily-relied-on government services and social safety net programs like Head Start at risk.

While supporters of Trump’s vision see his moves as steps to get rid of wasteful spending in the name of efficiency, DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider said the moves are destabilizing. Schneider was dismissive of Trump’s choice to spend his 100-day mark in Michigan.

“He’s going to Michigan to lie to people, but we found out you can’t lie to people when they’re suffering and paying more than they were 100 days ago, and when they are looking at their retirement and figuring out how many years now they have to add to their career in order to be able to afford to retire,” Schneider said.

Financial markets have been volatile in recent months, alternating between dips and gains depending on what policies are announced or rescinded. Democratic Party leaders say the country is sliding toward a recession. Trump administration officials have said the risk is worth it to reset America’s economy and protect domestic industries.

Runestad said it’s misleading to look at the day-to-day effects of Trump’s policies.

“All of these things change many parameters over time, not in a day. I mean, if he announces a tariff one day, the media is screaming bloody murder. And then he makes strategic pullbacks. That’s why it’s not a canoe. It is a battleship in terms of how the thing maneuvers. It takes time for these things to be ironed out,” Runestad said.

Many Democrats and political scholars also take a wider view of Trump’s first 100 days, saying he’s put the country on a path toward authoritarianism by taking steps to consolidate power in the executive branch, sidelining courts and Congress, and intimidating political rivals.

This will be Trump’s first visit to Michigan since he made several campaign stops in the state on the way to winning back the White House last year. When asked why Michigan was picked for the milestone, Runestad said the 2026 elections may have been in mind.

The state will have many offices up for grabs next year, including governor and U.S. Senate.

“There’s going to be a lot of attention on those, plus we have three congressional seats that are going to in play,” Runestad said. “Really all of these things lead through Michigan in terms of holding that majority for the Trump administration,” Runestad said.

Several high profile candidates on all sides of the political aisle have already entered or teased entering some of those races. Trump’s Macomb County rally will likely draw some of those hopefuls.