The mayor of Port Huron says there is no question President Donald Trump's tariff policies are hurting her border city with Canada, but she welcomes his visit anyway.
Trump is to hold a rally Sunday, Oct. 25 at the downtown McMorran Place entertainment complex in what city officials are billing as the first-ever visit to Port Huron by a sitting president.
Mayor Anita Ashford, the city's first Black mayor, said in an Oct. 22 phone interview with the Detroit Free Press that the city's economy has been hurt by Trump's tariffs placed on Canadian imports, retaliatory imports imposed by Canada, and by a significant drop in Canadian visitors who have historically patronized Port Huron restaurants, bars, gas stations and shopping malls.
"I know it's affecting
the city," said Ashford, a longtime Port Huron City Council member who was elected mayor in 2024 in a nonpartisan election.
"We have relationships, personal relationships, families across borders, we have people who work over here. Any time you have a situation of tariffs and what we're seeing now, I think the losers are the consumers."
She said she didn't know if she would get a chance to speak with Trump while he is in Port Huron.
But Trump's visit to the city of 28,000 is a welcome honor, Ashford said.
"I took an oath of office to represent all the people," she said. "Port Huron is a welcoming city, and that's where I stand."
More information:
What: Midterm rally featuring President Donald Trump
When: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.; remarks begin at 3 p.m.
Where: McMorran Place, 701 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron.
Cost: Free; tickets required.
Tickets: Register through the official event website. Up to four tickets per registration.
Trump is to arrive in Port Huron in the battleground state of Michigan after a grueling week of travel and rallies as he attempts to energize his base ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, stopping in many states that are often safely counted in the Republican column.
He had scheduled visits to Iowa Oct. 22, Florida Oct. 23, and Georgia Oct. 24. Trump heads to Mississippi on Monday, Oct. 26 and to Texas on Tuesday.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Port Huron mayor welcomes Trump to Michigan city hurt by tariffs
