DETROIT—President Donald Trump celebrated the use of tariffs to generate revenue for the federal government and drive domestic manufacturing investments during a speech to the Detroit Economic Club on Jan. 13.
He cited record stock market highs and more than $18 trillion in investments as evidence that America’s economy is thriving.
“One of the biggest reasons for this unbelievable success has been our historic use of tariffs,” Trump told a packed crowd in the Sound Board Theater at the MotorCity Casino Hotel.
He described how his administration is prioritizing trade policies that benefit states across the nation by turning to history and the 1890 Tariff Act for guidance.
“Now it’s tariffs that are making money for Michigan, and the entire country is stronger and safer and richer than ever before, outside of that period of time,” Trump said, emphasizing deals made over the past year regarding rare earths and minerals, artificial intelligence, defense industries, and sales of military equipment to foreign governments.
Billions of dollars in revenue generated so far will help pay down the national debt, and the president has also proposed stimulus checks for Americans.
“Every prediction the critics made about our tariffs policy has failed to materialize,” Trump said. “The evidence shows overwhelmingly that the tariffs are not paid by American consumers, that they’re paid by foreign nations and middlemen.”
The president criticized those who oppose tariffs.
“An anti-tariff person is a pro-Chinese person,” Trump said, suggesting that his political opponents’ policies benefit the communist regime.
Audience members lined up hours before the doors opened, chatting with each other about Michigan’s economic prospects and U.S. foreign policy, among other topics.
Many told The Epoch Times that they were excited to see the president speak, noting that his arrival precedes the opening of the Detroit Auto Show on Jan. 14.
“What a great week for Michigan,” retiree John Stevens said. “President Trump cares about our community and the future of our state.”
Trump’s support of the U.S. auto industry is a central component of his Make America Great Again agenda.
“I’m standing up for the American auto worker like no president has ever stood up before,” Trump said.
More than $70 billion of investments were recently announced for automobile manufacturing, according to him.
“And much of that money is coming right here to the car making capital of the world,” he said.
In July, Trump oversaw the inclusion of a temporary provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that provides tax credits for interest paid on the purchase of new vehicles made in America.
The administration’s efforts to lower gas prices have included rescinding fuel efficiency standards imposed by President Joe Biden, a move that Trump announced in December 2025.
Trump called those environmental standards “impossible to meet.”
The national average for gas prices fell for the seventh straight week, hitting five-year lows. Gas prices dropped below $2 per gallon at certain locations in 19 states, and prices were lower than $3 per gallon in 43 states, according to a Jan. 12 White House fact sheet that cites data released by travel app GasBuddy.
“That’s like a massive tax cut,” Trump said, highlighting plans to further lower costs, including a plan to revitalize the Venezuelan oil industry.
“With our extremely successful operation in Venezuela earlier this month, that number soon is going to go lower, because we’re going to have a lot more energy.”
Before the speech, Trump toured Ford’s River Rouge plant with Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Ford CEO Jim Farley, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Employees at the factory cheered and took selfies with the president, while assembly lines for Ford’s iconic F-150 trucks hummed with activity.
About a dozen protesters, some waving anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement signs, were seen in advance of Trump’s arrival in Detroit.
One individual was escorted off the casino property by law enforcement for reasons not disclosed.
