ALLENDALE, Mich. — As the last minute political blitz continues in Michigan with both campaigns hitting the ground hard to firm up enthusiasm among supporters, Donald Trump Jr. was met with a crowd at Grand Valley State University on Wednesday afternoon dogged by protesters.
Trump Jr., the oldest son of the billionaire businessman, started the day in Detroit where he met with a few dozen black activists before holding a rally with students on the campus of Michigan State University.
Trump Jr. arrived at Grand Valley State University about 45 minutes later than expected where he battled a crowd of a few hundred students, split evenly between supporters and protesters.
During the brief 15 minute speech, Trump Jr. was regularly met with heckles and chants that were quickly countered by supporters yelling "lock her up."
The visit comes as the Trump campaign continues to commit time and money in Michigan, a state that generally doesn't garner any attention at all from Republican candidates after the primaries. The state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988.
"It's interesting Hillary Clinton is coming back to Michigan," Trump Jr. said of his father's Democratic opponent who is scheduled to hold a Friday rally in Detroit. "We're not supposed to be winning here, but if she's coming back with five days left, it means we're giving her a run for her money."
Echoing optimism expressed by his father, Trump Jr. said he believed Republicans could win this state and upset Clinton in the same way Sen. Bernie Sanders upset her during the Michigan primary election in March.
"It's awesome to have this state in play, and it's in play because people are sick of politicians on both sides," Trump Jr. "They've made us a lot of promises that they haven't delivered on, they've done this for generations, and we have an incredible opportunity to change all that."
Ivanka Trump was scheduled to meet with supporters in Metro Detroit later Wednesday. Trump's running mate Gov. Mike Pence is holding a rally in Portage on Thursday, while Eric Trump is expected to be in the state on Friday.
