WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump was in Michigan on Tuesday to boost his economic strategy.

The president made multiple stops within the state, including at the Detroit Economic Club, where he defended the administration's tariffs and teased a plan to tackle affordability.

Growth is exploding, productivity is soaring, investment is booming, incomes are rising," Trump said.

Trump asserted that grocery prices, rent, and airfare are starting to go down, despite new federal data showing food prices rose 2.7% nationally in 2025, along with a similar annual inflation rate in December.

Inflation is defeated. America is respected again like never before," said Trump.

Trump labeled himself as the "Affordability President" while teasing a new affordability plan, designed to combat high living costs.

In the coming weeks, I will be laying out even more plans to help bring back affordability. And again, remember that's a fake word by Democrats," said Trump.

While touring a Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan, Trump touted his 25% tariff on foreign automobiles, saying it's a driver for domestic investment. He also said trade deals with Canada and Mexico are irrelevant because his goal is to make cars solely in the United States.

I want to build the cars here, not in Canada. We used to build cars in Canada, now the Canada cars, the Canadians, are moving here to build cars. Same thing with Mexico. Same thing with Japan," said Trump.

Trump's visit on Tuesday served as an unofficial kickoff for the GOP's 2026 midterm strategy. A swing state he narrowly won in 2024, with just over 49% of the vote. But new polling from The Detroit News and WDIV found 64% of state voters think costs have gone up.

The reality is tariffs are hurting our farmers and the auto industry, and prices continue to climb on everything from bread to diapers," Democratic Michigan State Representative Ranjeev Puri wrote on 'X.'

Meanwhile, Michigan House Republicans shared a different message.

We see companies like Stellantis, and GM and Ford that are building internal combustion engines and expanding their automotive manufacturing in Michigan again, and that's directly because of President Trump's tariffs," Michigan Speaker of the House Matt Hall told News Nation.

Following Tuesday's visit, Trump's next major economic stop will be in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. The White House has not yet announced the date or location for his next domestic visit.