Vice President JD Vance returned to Michigan Wednesday afternoon with a speech at Hatch Stamping, a precision metal stamping facility in Howell. 

The topic announced ahead of time was to "deliver remarks on President Trump's tax cuts for working families and businesses," and he utilized that point to speak out against undocumented immigrants.

"I believe the American dream belongs to American citizens. Not to illegal aliens. Not to drug cartels. And it doesn't belong to foreign workers. It belongs to workers right here in Michigan," the vice president said.

Vance also spoke extensively about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot last week during a public event in Utah. Kirk was one of the founders of Turning Point USA, which had chapters at colleges and universities across the country. Turning Point USA members who attend Michigan State University were among those introduced at the event. The stage side panels near the podium had the phrase "Remembering Charlie Kirk."

"Charlie was an exceptionally talented individual," Vance said, expressing sorrow over the circumstances of the fatal shooting. "I will fight for your right to speak your mind. ... Let's talk to one another and not try to shoot one another down for disagreeing."

Vance recently hosted an episode of Kirk's podcast, following his shooting.

Mr. Trump is currently in London for a state visit with the United Kingdom's King Charles.

Introductions 

U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, whose Michigan District 7 includes the Howell area, gave the initial remarks. "We finally put working families, not the elites, in the driver's seat for our policies in the United States," Barrett said about the Trump administration.

The podium then went to Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who noted that she has family in Michigan. She praised the efforts of the Trump administration to "put America workers first," citing new policies invoked in the mega bill earlier this year known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. Those steps included eliminating tax on overtime pay and tips. She also mentioned an effort to increase and expand registered apprenticeship programs, saying this will help provide career paths that are an alternative to those that require university degrees.

Vance took a tour of the Howell manufacturing facility before taking the podium.

Vance's speech

During his remarks, Vance encouraged Michigan residents to work with people such as Michigan Republican Party chairman Jim Runestad on the 2026 elections, during which all of the U.S. House and one-third of the U.S. Senate seats are up for re-election. Numerous candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have already announced their intentions to run in those races.

Then he spoke about the Trump administration's efforts to send the National Guard to the District of Columbia and some of America's larger cities.

"Part of making this country work for you all is making sure you are safe in your communities and safe in your streets. ... We deserve to be safe in our communities again," he said, with those in attendance breaking out into applause.

He called out by name Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, seemingly inviting her to allow the National Guard to deploy to the state, specifically Detroit.

"My one message to Gretchen Whitmer is look, the city of Detroit we know has got some serious crime problems and we know it's the people in Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant all over the city streets," the vice president said. "We are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan. All you've got to do is ask."

Vance last paid a visit to Michigan in March to tour a plastics manufacturing plant in Bay City. The visit was his first since being elected alongside Mr. Trump in the 2024 general election. Mr. Trump won Michigan in 2024, defeating Democratic candidate and former Vice President Kamala Harris 49.7% to 48.3%.   

Mr. Trump visited Michigan in April to mark the first 100 days of his second term. At the time, the president first visited Selfridge Air National Guard Base, where he spoke alongside Whitmer, before delivering remarks at Macomb Community College in Warren.

Reaction from Michigan's Lt. Governor

In response to Vance's visit Wednesday, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II issued the following statement, reading in part: 

"Today, Vice President JD Vance is in Michigan to try to defend this administration's record on job growth and manufacturing. But you can't defend the indefensible. Donald Trump's tariff policies have lit paychecks and jobs on fire. It's more expensive to manufacture things in Michigan because of Donald Trump and JD Vance, and workers are paying the price," Gilchrist said. 

The company Vance is visiting, Hatch Stamping, was founded in 1952 by Joseph, Raymond and Walter Hatch and currently employs more than 1,500 employees worldwide across 15 manufacturing facilities and two technology centers. The company has facilities in Michigan, Tennessee, Mexico and China.