Supporters and opponents of Donald Trump traveled by air, ground and lake to converge on metro Detroit on Saturday to get their message across.
The “Make America Great Again” boat parade, organized to coincide with what would have been the former president’s 78th birthday on Friday, filled Lake St. Clair with red, white and blue throughout the afternoon. What appeared to be hundreds of boats carrying American flags and “Trump 2024” banners sailed along the lakeshore from Nine Mile Tower to Hart Plaza. For supporters of the parade, the theme of the day was clear: community unity.
“We’re celebrating President Trump, President Trump’s birthday, Father’s Day and community unity,” said Rob Cortis, driving a modified ambulance. He hitched a trailer to it and painted “Trump Unity” in big letters. He called the bridge the Trump Unity Bridge. Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” blared from the vehicle’s speakers as he spoke.
“We want to put America first, we want to put workers first, we want to put our people first,” Cortis said.
The boat parade was scheduled to end at approximately 4 p.m. on the Detroit River near Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit. At the same time, Trump spoke at a roundtable discussion at a Detroit church. At 6 p.m., Trump delivered the keynote address at the People’s Convention at Huntington Place. Conservative nonprofit Turning Point Action hosted Trump as the keynote speaker at the rally. The three-day event featured some big-name Republicans, including Donald Trump Jr., Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Trump’s former chief of staff, Steve Bannon.
“I think he’s reaching out,” said Mark Miller, who was watching the day’s celebrations with his family at a waterfront park. “Michigan has always been close, but Detroit has always been a bad place for Trump. I’m impressed he’s here.”
Another parade attendee, Debbie Lambert, has been a Trump supporter since he ran for president in 2016. She said she hopes Trump’s visit to Michigan will help other Michiganders “understand all that’s going on and open people’s eyes and really wake up.” She believes Trump’s recent conviction in New York was a ploy to stop voters from voting for the candidate they want.
“We’ve been to a lot of rallies,” she said, “where like-minded people support Trump.”
In lockstep with the floating motorbikes, a group of Bikers for Trump made their way down the parade’s road route. Flying MAGA flags and traveling at 20 mph, the motorbikes were followed by the Trump Unity Bridge and about a dozen cars. The group rode along the coast, stopping to regroup at Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe, before a smaller contingent circled Hart Plaza alongside the rest. At intersections, cars honked their horns in support; others rolled down their windows and shouted disdain.
One protester, Mark Airgood, said several of the protesters were there to represent Detroit’s anti-Trump independence movement, which does not identify with any political party. “Detroit would never welcome Trump,” he said. “We know that the vast majority of Detroiters stand with us against Trump and the racism he promotes.”
Several different groups of People’s Convention attendees stayed nearby, watching as demonstrators marched in circles past “The Fist” memorial to Joe Louis, honking huge horns and holding signs.
Perry Everson, a young Detroit man, stood near the crowd holding a Trump sign. He came to show his support for the parade. He hopes more black voters will support Trump in the next election, but he also respects different opinions. “I support everybody. Everybody has their own opinion,” he said.
There was similar activity in the air. Small planes towing banners crisscrossed the lake. One read “Trump 2024.” Another, paid for by the Democratic National Convention, read “Trump is a crook, don’t sink the ship.” Several other planes — two advertising gun stores and one for a marijuana brand — used the crowds to peddle propaganda.
A small group of supporters waited for the boat to pass Hart Plaza at 4 p.m., the designated arrival time, as several boats flying American flags trickled in. Cortis said the boat arrived earlier than scheduled and turned back near the Renaissance Center.
“I was born here,” Cortis said, “and I’m proud to have Mr. Trump as my guest here in Detroit, Michigan. I’m very proud.”
