President Trump spoke Tuesday at the Detroit Economic Club after he toured a Ford truck plant in nearby Dearborn. It comes as the president tries to focus on economic issues amid myriad international and domestic events that have gripped his administration since the start of the year.
As Mr. Trump took to the stage, he touted the economy and also his victory in the 2024 election in Michigan. Mr. Trump called the event the “easiest speech I’ve had to make” because “all I’m doing is spewing off what the hell we’ve done.”
Mr. Trump defended his administration’s tariffs, saying he had closed the trade deficit due to the tariffs.
“Tariff’s my favorite word,” Mr. Trump said, later amending that it’s his “fifth-favorite word.”
Mr. Trump said tariffs had helped the car industry in Michigan, a point he also made while in Dearborn.
Mr. Trump also said he would be rolling out a plan to deal with affordability when he is at Davos, although he has said that affordability is a “hoax.”
On the international front, Mr. Trump spoke about his administration’s military strikes on Venezuela and capture of its former President Nicolás Maduro. Heattacked the Democrats who voted to advance a war powers resolution, saying they “hate our country,” and he also called out a few of the Republicans who joined them.
Mr. Trump met with oil executives to push for U.S. investment in Venezuela’s oil industry, and he said Monday that “we’re working with the Venezuelan people and representatives, and it’s amazing” for the country’s oil.
Mr. Trump also spoke to “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil during his visit to Dearborn about the economy and other issues. The interview will air on “CBS Evening News” tonight.
On the economy, the December jobs report released last week continued to show a softening economy, with only 50,000 jobs added in December. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate stood at 4.4% in December, compared with 4.5% in November.
Overall for 2025, job growth slowed throughout the year as some businesses grappled with economic uncertainty, prompting them to pull back on hiring.
In a prime-time address last month, Mr. Trump defended some of his signature second-term economic policies, including his handling of inflation and tariffs.
The Detroit Economic Club has a long history of hosting presidents, both Democrats and Republicans. Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have all previously spoken to club members.