LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MI – The last time Gabriel Wiechert saw Vice President J.D. Vance in Michigan, it was at a Grand Rapids rally the week after the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
The Michigan State University (MSU) senior will soon see Vance speak for a third time Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the Hatch Stamping facility in Howell. He is among several hundred in attendance.
The rally comes in a similar moment of political unrest as his last one he was at, a week after conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was killed.
“I’ve seen really a lot of people coming together after this tragic event,” Wiechert said of Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination at Utah Valley University.
“I think part of the reason (of) being here today is just to honor Charlie’s memory with JD Vance,” he added. “I know he’ll speak on the matter a little bit, as well as just being here with my friends and Turning Point.”
He was referring to Turning Point USA, a nonprofit started by Kirk in 2012 to advocate for youth involvement in conservative politics. Wiechert has been involved with MSU’s chapter since his freshman year.
He spoke about Kirk, Vance and the state of American politics on a hill that overlooked the crowd of several hundred lined up to see the vice president.
Vance was scheduled to speak at noon in front of a small crowd inside the manufacturing facility at 1051 Austin Cout, but the event time was pushed back to 1 p.m. As of 1:30 p.m., supporters were still eagerly awaiting him to take the stage at Hatch Stamping, a precision metal stamping facility.
Ahead of the event, security appeared to be increased for attendees and the press, with multiple security stops, car checkpoints and bag checks.
Several other Michigan politicians were in attendance, including Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is also present. Endorsed by Trump, he became the first major Republican to launch a campaign for U.S. Sentate, seeking the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peter, D- Bloomington Hills. In his previous bid in 2024, he was defeated by U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly.
Republican Congressman Tom Barrett, who flipped Michigan’s 7th Congressional district, who reportedly flew in from Washington, D.C. with Vance, spoke to the crowd earlier.
Wiechert, sporting an American Comeback Tour T-shirt from Kirk’s last visit to MSU, said the message he was most hoping to hear from Vance was a condemnation of political violence.
“I hope he continues to touch, as he did on Charlie’s podcast the other day, on the importance of civility, the importance of unity, but also condemning any political violence,” he said. “There can’t be unity with people who are calling for violence.”
The other thing Wiechert said people are expecting Vance to talk about is the economy and the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Trump’s tax cuts and spending package signed into law on July 4.
During his speech, Vance is expected to discuss tax cuts for families and businesses, part of a nationwide attempt by Republicans to promote the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Senate voted to pass the bill by a slim margin, 51-50, on July 1 with Vance breaking the tie.
Republicans in recent days have looked at ways to rework their messaging of the bill after spending several months in their home districts, including rebranding the package as the “working families tax cut,” rather than the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ahead of the midterms.
Wiechert said during this Michigan visit, he’s hoping Vance speaks about what’s next for the automotive industry.
Anita McCloud, 68, of White Lake, said she’s hopeful Vance clarifies some of the bill’s messaging and how it could impact retirees like her.
“You hear on the news, ‘no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime,’” she said. “I worked in law for 46 years. You’ve got to look at the fine print … We’re on social security. I want to hear the details.”
McCloud said people get ideas in their head, and “then when they see what’s really happening, I think it’s going to disappoint a lot of people.”
But she remained supportive of the Trump administration and its politics.
She said she felt disengaged from politics after the 2020 election – “I swore I’d never vote again.”
Now, in addition to Trump’s reelection, she said Kirk’s death “brought everybody back to life.”
Randy Greene, 62, a Howell resident in attendance at Vance’s rally, said he’s hoping Vance addresses the temperature of the country.
He’s also hoping the vice president will “hear us.”
“To have them come to a town of our size really means a lot,” Greene said of Howell. “I was here when President Trump was here. I was here when President (Joe) Biden was here and held up signs of support. I respect the office greatly, but for them to come and see ours in our town and hear from us just means a lot.”
A self-described proud conservative, Greene said that despite Michigan’s purple state status, “I feel like there’s a conservative movement right now.”
He believes it’s a reflection of Michiganders turning towards their faith values.
“It feels a lot of times like we will accept anything other than Christian values,” he said. “If you stand up for your faith, a lot of times, you’re ostracized, criticized, yet people can stand up for just about anything else.