Vice President JD Vance visits Michigan as economic debate rages

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Mar 18, 2026

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ― Vice President JD Vance is returning Wednesday to Michigan, where he'll deliver a speech at a manufacturing facility in Oakland County amid criticism from Democrats about the nation's economy.

Vance, a Republican former U.S. senator from Ohio, is scheduled to speak inside Engineering Design Services Inc., an Auburn Hills firm that specializes in robotic systems engineering and design. A blue banner behind the stage, where Vance is expected to appear sometime around noon, said "delivering for American workers."

His visit comes six days after a 41-year-old man from Dearborn Heights attacked the Temple Israel synagogue in Oakland County's West Bloomfield Township. Ayman Ghazali slammed his Ford F-150 through the front doors of the Temple Israel on Thursday and engaged in gunfire with the synagogue's security team before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot, FBI Detroit Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said.

Vance's stop in Michigan Wednesday marks the first by him or President Donald Trump since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.

In an interview hours before Vance's speech, Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel said the country found itself "in the middle of a war of choice that is hurting" state residents.

"Trump's policies were hurting them before that," Hertel added. "It's only made things worse for the average American citizen who was promised grocery prices and gas prices would be down and wages would be up."

The average gas price in Michigan Wednesday was $3.87 a gallon, an increase of 28% from a year ago, according to AAA.

However, Vance Patrick, chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party, vowed that the rise in fuel prices would be "very temporary" and said he wasn't worried about it — about 230 days before a pivotal election in Michigan, where voters will pick a new governor and new U.S. senator.

"It's exciting to have JD back in Oakland County," Patrick said as he entered the venue for Vance's speech. "It shows that Oakland County is the heart of Michigan and that he understands that there's a true opportunity here to keep Michigan red."

Oakland County is a former Republican stronghold that has turned into Democratic territory, backing Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the three times Trump ran for president.

As a candidate for president in 2024, Trump promised to "reclaim America's manufacturing power" and protect U.S. jobs. However, the number of manufacturing jobs in Michigan has essentially tread water, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of December 2024, there were 598,000 manufacturing jobs in Michigan. As of December 2025, there were about 597,000, according to the federal tracking.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has said Trump's tariffs on products manufactured outside the U.S. have "jacked up prices" and cost families an average of $1,000 in 2025.

"Businesses of all sizes are facing higher costs and massive uncertainty too," Whitmer said during her Feb. 25 State of the State address.

Trump has countered that the tariffs are generating revenue and are ensuring a fairer playing field for U.S. businesses as he seeks better trade deals.

Vance made stops in Livingston County in September 2025 and in Bay County in March 2025.

Trump himself participated in a roundtable conversation at Engineering Design Services Inc. on Oct. 18, 2024, ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.

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