Michigan

Trump's Michigan trip will include stops at a Black church and a gathering of far-right activists

Published

7 months ago

June 15, 2024

Trump's Michigan trip will include stops at a Black church and a gathering of far-right activists

DETROIT – Donald Trump will use back-to-back stops Saturday to court Black voters and a conservative group that has been accused of attracting white supremacists as the Republican presidential candidate works to stitch together a coalition of historically divergent interests in battleground Michigan.

Trump is scheduled to host an afternoon roundtable at an African American church in downtown Detroit. Later he will appear at the “People’s Convention” of Turning Point Action, a group that the Anti-Defamation League says has been linked to a variety of extremists.

Roughly 24 hours before Trump planned to address the conference, well-known white supremacist Nick Fuentes entered Turning Point’s convention hall surrounded by a group of cheering supporters. He was quickly escorted out by security.

Fuentes created political problems for Trump after Fuentes attended a private lunch with the former president and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West at Trump’s Florida estate in 2022.

Trump’s weekend plans underscore the evolving political forces shaping the presidential election this fall as he tries to deny Democratic President Joe Biden a second term.

Few states are expected to matter more in November than Michigan, which Biden carried by less than 3 percentage points four years ago. And few voting groups matter more to Democrats than African Americans, who made up the backbone of Biden’s political base in 2020. But now, less than five months before Election Day, Black voters are expressing modest signs of disappointment with the 81-year-old Democrat.

Michael Whatley, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, told Michigan Republicans at a dinner Friday that the state could not be more important.

“Everybody knows if we don’t win Michigan, we’re not going to have a Republican in the White House,” Whatley said. “Let me be more blunt: If we don’t win Michigan, we’re not going to have Donald Trump in the White House.”

“We are going to determine the fate of the world in this election in November,” he added.

Trump argues he can pull in more Black voters due to his economic and border security message, and that his felony indictments make him more relatable.

Democrats are offering a competing perspective.

“Donald Trump is so dangerous for Michigan and dangerous for America and dangerous for Black people,” Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, who is African American, said Friday. He said it was “offensive” for Trump to come.

Among Black adults, Biden’s approval has dropped from 94% when he started his term in January 2021 to just 55%, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published in March.

About 8 in 10 Black voters have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, with roughly two-thirds saying they have a “very unfavorable” view of him, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in June. About 2 in 10 Black voters have a very or somewhat favorable view of Trump.

Trump won 8% of the Black vote in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. And in what is expected to be a close election, even a modest shift could be consequential.

Maurice Morrison, a 67-year-old lifelong Detroit resident, plans to attend Trump’s church appearance. Morrison acknowledged that Trump, for whom he voted twice before and plans to again, is deeply unpopular in his community and even inside his home.

“Once he decided to run for president as a Republican, that automatically made him racist. That’s his middle name now — ‘Trump is racist’ — everybody I talk to, all the people I know, my family,” said Morrison, who is Black. “The man cares.”

Meanwhile, thousands of conservative activists, most of them young and white, were eagerly awaiting Trump’s keynote address Saturday night.

Turning Point has emerged as a force in GOP politics in the Trump era, particularly among his “Make America Great Again” movement, despite the ADL’s warning that the group “continues to attract racists.”

“Numerous individuals associated with the group have made bigoted statements about the Black community, the LGBTQ community and other groups,” the ADL, an international anti-hate group, wrote in a background memo. “While TPUSA (Turning Point USA) leaders say they reject white supremacist ideology, known white nationalists have attended their events.”

A Turning Point spokesperson did not respond to questions about the ADL’s characterization.

Turning Point, long popular among Trump’s MAGA fringe, is now a central player in mainstream Republican politics. The group’s weekend speaking program featured a long list of established Republican politicians, including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, in addition U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and former Trump counselor Steve Bannon, who is set to report to prison by July 1 to begin serving a four-month sentence for defying a U.S. House subpoena.

In his remarks Friday night, Vivek Ramaswamy, who has emerged as a fierce Trump ally since unsuccessfully challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, called on conservatives to reject what he said was the Democrats’ embrace of diversity.

“I am sick and tired of celebrating our diversity,” Ramaswamy charged. “It means nothing unless there is something greater that unites us.”

___

Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

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Michigan

BREAKING: Former Michigan Football QB Alex Orji commits to new school

Published

4 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

BREAKING: Former Michigan Football QB Alex Orji commits to new school

Michigan quarterback Alex Orji had a visit lined up to see Temple on Wednesday, but Orji won’t make it to that visit after all. It came out on Friday night that Orji had taken a visit to UNLV — something people didn’t know right away. Orji’s visit must’ve been a hit because on Saturday evening the former Wolverine committed to the Rebels.

In a statement to ESPN, Orji said “It felt like a great opportunity to go out to Vegas with Coach Mullen and Coach Dennis. It’s an opportunity to cultivate winning culture.”

Orji told ESPN: “It felt like a great opportunity to go out to Vegas with Coach Mullen and Coach Dennis,” he said of new UNLV coach Dan Mullen and OC Corey Dennis. “It’s an opportunity to cultivate winning culture.”
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 11, 2025

UNLV is coming off of an excellent season in which it went 11-3 and lost to Boise State in the Mountain West Championship. Former head coach Barry Odom is now at Purdue and the Rebels went out and hired former Flordia head coach Dan Mullen who is now running the program.

Orji will have two years of eligibility remaining with UNLV. Orji finished 2024 going 25-for-47 for 150 yards, three touchdowns, and two INTs through the air. He also ran for 269 yards and a score for Michigan.

If Orji is going to start at quarteback for the Rebels, Mullen will have to trust Orji’s throwing ability — something Michigan appeared to not trust.

– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –

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Michigan

Michigan State Legend Reveals the Secret to His Greatness

Published

13 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Michigan State Legend Reveals the Secret to His Greatness

There aren’t many more likeable players in Michigan State Spartans history than Zach Randolph.

Randolph played 17 seasons in the NBA, spending time with the Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

Of course, Randolph is most known for his eight-year tenure with the Grizzlies, where he was the driving force behind Memphis’ “Grit and Grind” era.

From a physical standpoint, Randolph was largely unimpressive. He was an undersized center at 6-foot-8, and he had very limited athleticism.

However, he managed to register 16.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game throughout his NBA career and averaged double-doubles nine times.

So, how was the rather rotund Randolph so great at crashing the glass in spite of his less than stellar athletic abilities?

He explained why during a recent episode of the “Out the Mud” podcast.

“You know what? Really just having a knack for the ball and having that heart,”
Randolph said. “Beating that man to the spot. Really, I’m gonna outmuscle you for this rebound.”

Randolph was one of the best rebounders in the league during his day, topping out at 12.2 points a night during the 2010-11 campaign with the Grizzlies.

“We’re going to battle, and I like contact, so I’m hitting first,” Randolph said. “A lot of guys, they don’t like to hit first, but in the UFC, the guys who hit first always win. And that’s what I did. I had a knack for the ball to get those offensive rebounds.”

The Michigan State product specialized in offensive rebounding, as he logged over four offensive boards per game three times in his NBA tenure.

Randolph spent just one season at East Lansing before declaring for the NBA Draft in 2001. That year, he posted 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 58.7 percent from the floor.

He was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 19th overall pick and earned a pair of All-Star selections throughout his time in the pros, with both of those selections coming in Memphis.

Randolph was never able to advance to an NBA Finals, but there is no doubt that he was one of the game’s best big men during his heyday.

Outside of Magic Johnson and Draymond Green, not many Spartans were more successful NBA players than Z-Bo.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

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Penn State Wrestling Secures Dominant Win Over Michigan State – FloWrestling

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Penn State Wrestling Secures Dominant Win Over Michigan State – FloWrestling

Defending national champions Penn State welcomed Michigan State to Rec Hall on Friday night for their first Big Ten dual of the season. #1 Penn State moved to 7-0 on the season with a 55-0 win over the Spartans. Check out the article below to see a full recap of the dual.

Final Dual Score – Penn State 55, Michigan State 0

125: #17 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) Tech Fall Nick Corday (Michigan State) – 19-2, 6:08

133: #6 Braeden Davis (Penn State) Tech Fall Andrew Hampton (Michigan State) – 20-5, 5:25

141: #3 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) Maj. Dec. Jaden Crumpler (Michigan State) – 12-3

149: #2 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) Fall Clayton Jones (Michigan State) – 2:25

157: #3 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) Fall Braden Stauffenberg (Michigan State) – 3:46

165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) Tech Fall Jay Nivison (Michigan State) – 3:57

174: #2 Levi Haines (Penn State) Fall Ceasar Garza (Michigan State) – 4:13

184: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) Fall Ryan Boucher (Michigan State) – 5:48

197: #4 Josh Barr (Penn State) Fall Cory Thomas (Michigan State) – 2:44

285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) Fall Max Vanadia (Michigan State) – 0:56

*Dual meet started at 285 pounds

Pins Lead The Way For Penn State

In a remarkable display of dominance, 7 of Penn State’s 10 wrestlers ended their matches by pin on Friday night. Of those 7 pins, Kerkvliet, Barr, and Van Ness all ended their matches in the first period. Beyond the pins, every Nittany Lion wrestler won by bonus points with Luke Lilledahl and Braeden Davis securing tech falls and Beau Bartlett winning with a major decision. Penn State does not have another dual this weekend but will travel to Lincoln next week to take on #6 Nebraska on Friday, January 17th.

Check out some highlights from Penn State’s win over Michigan State below:

Kerkvliet to start us off with the fall at 0:56!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/ui8cX7JEZp
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) January 11, 2025

No. 2 Shayne Van Ness with the first period fall at 2:25!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/RjsvG1XW3s
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) January 11, 2025

No. 3 Tyler Kasak with the fall at 3:46 to start us off after the half!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/hVzKSYLZ96
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) January 11, 2025