MAGA supporters dismiss Michigan polls, assert 'Trump’s got it made.'
Supporters of Trump are becoming more resolute in their stance.
TroibNews 
POTTERVILLE, Michigan — Inside a large steel warehouse where Donald Trump held a rally on Thursday, his supporters endured the heat and dismissed any notion that their candidate arrived in Michigan weakened by Kamala Harris’ rise.
None expressed belief in recent polling that indicated Trump was trailing Harris in this battleground state. They also found it hard to accept new Fox News polling, which suggested that as the campaign entered the critical post-Labor Day period, the vice president had improved her standing against President Joe Biden in key states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.
These supporters couldn't imagine waking up on November 6 to a scenario where Trump was not victorious; they insisted that if he were to lose, it would mean that Harris had cheated or the election was rigged.
“The media would tell you that Harris is winning, but the heart of America will tell you that Trump's got it made,” remarked Kirk Deatrick, who mentioned he lost faith in Fox News after the network's split with Tucker Carlson.
He further expressed his belief, stating, “I think if they don't cheat, I think he'll win by a huge amount,” predicting an 80-20 margin of victory for Trump “if it was a fair and honest election, and illegal people don't vote and they don't use cheating.”
The unwavering confidence of these supporters contrasts with Trump’s private anxieties about the race, as well as those of his allies. It highlights a MAGA base that is not only refusing to adapt to the changing dynamics but is also ready to protest any outcome that does not favor Trump come November.
“We need God’s help, and I’m praying he’ll transition this thing peacefully, but if not, that’s where I come in,” said 62-year-old Richard McLeod, a self-identified member of two Michigan militias. “I'm standing my ground. I'm fighting ‘til I die. And I want to make the other side die for their cause,” he added.
In more than a dozen interviews conducted while waiting for Trump’s appearance, loyalists expressed disbelief in a variety of nonpartisan surveys that demonstrated Harris closing in on or even surpassing Trump, gaining significant fundraising and halting the momentum he had built over the summer.
"It's kind of like the rabbit and the sloth," opined Dan Danger, a 67-year-old retired truck driver from Hartford, wearing a camouflage Trump 2024 hat and a shirt adorned with 31 Trump faces. “Have you ever seen a sloth? They have no brain. They work really slow. And that's Harris.”
Across the board, none indicated they would accept a scenario where Harris emerged victorious on Election Day.
Their steadfast faith in Trump clashes with public polling in Michigan, where a pre-Democratic convention survey by Trump’s own pollster Tony Fabrizio and Biden’s pollster John Anzalone showed the race tied at 48 percent, while a post-convention poll by The Hill/Emerson indicated Harris ahead by 2 points.
However, supporters in Potterville reject the notion that the race is competitive. Engaging with the Trump faithful feels like stepping into a different political reality in which Trump is not only leading but heading toward a landslide victory.
During the rally, Trump continued to stoke this belief, claiming to the crowd that he was “leading in the polls by a lot” and labeling recent polling results as “rigged.” He also focused on the size of the crowd present.
“I got thousands of people, by the way, outside trying to get in. I never — they never said Trump's a great speaker. I don't even want that. But I must be a great speaker, right? We got thousands of people. No, we got thousands and thousands.” (In reality, there were not thousands just outside the warehouse; a few law enforcement officials were on hand, and maybe a few hundred observers gathered along the road, many bringing their own chairs and not expecting to gain entry.)
Nonetheless, a distinction emerged between the MAGA supporters and the more traditional members of the party within the warehouse.
“A dead heat,” said Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra, who previously served as Trump’s ambassador to the Netherlands, referring to what the polls indicate. “Michigan is always close.”
Hoekstra recounted a recent conversation with Trump, where the president inquired about the impact of the endorsement of former Detroit Democratic Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is a felon due to his conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.
“And I told the president, ‘I don't care,’” Hoekstra shared. “He said, ‘What do you mean you don't care?’ I said, ‘Mr. President, you asked me to win Michigan. That's what I'm focused on.’”
Russ Jennings, chair of the GOP in Jackson County, Michigan, acknowledged that Trump should concentrate more on issues: “The economy. The economy. The economy. And immigration,” he noted.
Observing from outside the rally location, Jessica Chamberlain, a retired deputy sheriff, shared a different view among the crowd gathered to greet Trump’s motorcade. “It’s kind of close,” she commented about the race. “Some of our friends who are women are just voting for a woman.”
Kierra Frazier contributed to this report.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
None expressed belief in recent polling that indicated Trump was trailing Harris in this battleground state. They also found it hard to accept new Fox News polling, which suggested that as the campaign entered the critical post-Labor Day period, the vice president had improved her standing against President Joe Biden in key states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.
These supporters couldn't imagine waking up on November 6 to a scenario where Trump was not victorious; they insisted that if he were to lose, it would mean that Harris had cheated or the election was rigged.
“The media would tell you that Harris is winning, but the heart of America will tell you that Trump's got it made,” remarked Kirk Deatrick, who mentioned he lost faith in Fox News after the network's split with Tucker Carlson.
He further expressed his belief, stating, “I think if they don't cheat, I think he'll win by a huge amount,” predicting an 80-20 margin of victory for Trump “if it was a fair and honest election, and illegal people don't vote and they don't use cheating.”
The unwavering confidence of these supporters contrasts with Trump’s private anxieties about the race, as well as those of his allies. It highlights a MAGA base that is not only refusing to adapt to the changing dynamics but is also ready to protest any outcome that does not favor Trump come November.
“We need God’s help, and I’m praying he’ll transition this thing peacefully, but if not, that’s where I come in,” said 62-year-old Richard McLeod, a self-identified member of two Michigan militias. “I'm standing my ground. I'm fighting ‘til I die. And I want to make the other side die for their cause,” he added.
In more than a dozen interviews conducted while waiting for Trump’s appearance, loyalists expressed disbelief in a variety of nonpartisan surveys that demonstrated Harris closing in on or even surpassing Trump, gaining significant fundraising and halting the momentum he had built over the summer.
"It's kind of like the rabbit and the sloth," opined Dan Danger, a 67-year-old retired truck driver from Hartford, wearing a camouflage Trump 2024 hat and a shirt adorned with 31 Trump faces. “Have you ever seen a sloth? They have no brain. They work really slow. And that's Harris.”
Across the board, none indicated they would accept a scenario where Harris emerged victorious on Election Day.
Their steadfast faith in Trump clashes with public polling in Michigan, where a pre-Democratic convention survey by Trump’s own pollster Tony Fabrizio and Biden’s pollster John Anzalone showed the race tied at 48 percent, while a post-convention poll by The Hill/Emerson indicated Harris ahead by 2 points.
However, supporters in Potterville reject the notion that the race is competitive. Engaging with the Trump faithful feels like stepping into a different political reality in which Trump is not only leading but heading toward a landslide victory.
During the rally, Trump continued to stoke this belief, claiming to the crowd that he was “leading in the polls by a lot” and labeling recent polling results as “rigged.” He also focused on the size of the crowd present.
“I got thousands of people, by the way, outside trying to get in. I never — they never said Trump's a great speaker. I don't even want that. But I must be a great speaker, right? We got thousands of people. No, we got thousands and thousands.” (In reality, there were not thousands just outside the warehouse; a few law enforcement officials were on hand, and maybe a few hundred observers gathered along the road, many bringing their own chairs and not expecting to gain entry.)
Nonetheless, a distinction emerged between the MAGA supporters and the more traditional members of the party within the warehouse.
“A dead heat,” said Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra, who previously served as Trump’s ambassador to the Netherlands, referring to what the polls indicate. “Michigan is always close.”
Hoekstra recounted a recent conversation with Trump, where the president inquired about the impact of the endorsement of former Detroit Democratic Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is a felon due to his conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.
“And I told the president, ‘I don't care,’” Hoekstra shared. “He said, ‘What do you mean you don't care?’ I said, ‘Mr. President, you asked me to win Michigan. That's what I'm focused on.’”
Russ Jennings, chair of the GOP in Jackson County, Michigan, acknowledged that Trump should concentrate more on issues: “The economy. The economy. The economy. And immigration,” he noted.
Observing from outside the rally location, Jessica Chamberlain, a retired deputy sheriff, shared a different view among the crowd gathered to greet Trump’s motorcade. “It’s kind of close,” she commented about the race. “Some of our friends who are women are just voting for a woman.”
Kierra Frazier contributed to this report.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
