Florida Rep. Byron Donalds deflected criticism of Donald Trump’s visit to Howell, Michigan, the site of white supremacist violence in July, by saying that President Joe Biden previously visited the town in the past.
According to CBS News, Donalds called the questioning about Trump’s campaign stop “offensive.”
“That entire line of questioning really is offensive. There are people in Howell, Michigan, just like there are people all over the entire country,” Donalds said.
According to The Hill, Harris’s campaign was less charitable about Trump’s campaign stop. Alyssa Bradley, the Michigan communications director for the Harris campaign, called the stop a bullhorn and not a dog whistle.
“Trump is choosing to rally in a town that was historically known as ‘the
KKK capital of Michigan; this [Tuesday] event on ‘crime and safety’ isn’t a dog whistle from Trump — it’s a bullhorn. His visit underscores the core choice in this election — between a prosecutor and a criminal, someone who has spent her life making communities safer and someone who encourages violence, and someone who will build a future where all Michiganders can get ahead and someone who wants to take us back to the days of the KKK,” Bradley said.Last month in Howell, white supremacists marched through the city’s downtown area, waving flags containing white supremacist slogans and chanting their support of Trump, an incident not addressed by both Donalds and Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who issued an official statement questioning a double standard applied to Trump from the mainstream media.
“Did the media write this same story when Joe Biden visited Howell in 2021 or when Kamala Harris visits cities where racist protests and marches have occurred in the past? No, of course not, because the mainstream serves as a divisive, anti-Trump mouthpiece for the Democrat Party. President Trump will travel to Howell to deliver a strong message on law and order, making it clear that crime, violence, and hate of any form will have zero place in our country when he is back in the White House,” Leavitt said.
According to MLive, in July, a separate group of white supremacists chanted “Heil Hitler” and “We Love Trump” while carrying
neo-Nazi and KKK flags and passing out white supremacist literature. The Mayor of Howell, Bob Ellis, acknowledged the city’s history with the KKK Grand Dragon of Michigan, Robert E. Miles, but said he was unsure if that history was why the white supremacists felt comfortable marching through the city.According to the Michigan Advance, a joint statement issued by the City of Howell, the Livingston Diversity Council, and the Howell Chamber of Commerce condemned the racist ideology the group displayed. Trump has declined to do so so far.
“Although we recognize their right to free speech, these demonstrators do not reflect the values of the Howell community. The incident was terminated within a half-hour of when it began. The City of Howell, the
Livingston Diversity Council, and the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce stand united in condemning this group’s racist ideology. We are very proud to be a welcoming and inclusive community, and this is likely why we were targeted by this outside group. We would also like to acknowledge all our residents who quickly reacted to this event and made it clear that we do not share their views,” the statement said.RELATED CONTENT: Byron Donalds Wants The Supreme Court To ‘Intervene’ In Trump’s Hush Money Guilty Verdict