(WXYZ) — During a stop in Howell, Vice President JD Vance told the crowd his message to Governor Gretchen Whitmer is "all you gotta do is ask" for the National Guard to be deployed to Detroit.
Watch Mike Duffy's video report:
"My one message to Gretchen Whitmer is, look, the City of Detroit, we know, has got some serious crime problems," Vance said. "And we know that it's the people in Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant over city streets. Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan. All you gotta do is ask."
RAW VIDEO: Vance says Whitmer just has to 'ask' for National Guard in Detroit
Vance made the remarks as part of his speech at the Hatch Stamping Company facility in Howell. He started the speech by talking about Charlie Kirk, before addressing President Donald Trump's current trip to the United Kingdom, before pivoting to the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, DC, and Memphis, which led into his remarks about Detroit.
John Roach, Director of Media Relations for the City of Detroit, issued the following statement in response to the remarks:
In 2024, Detroit’s law enforcement strategy produced record declines and resulted in the fewest homicides, shootings, and carjackings since 1965.
In 2025, Detroit is right now experiencing a further 15% drop in homicides, 25% drop in shootings, and 30% drop in carjackings, all record lows.
The current partnership between federal, state, county, and private violence prevention groups is achieving record reductions, and it would be a serious mistake to abandon this successful strategy.
7 News Detroit has reached out to Governor Whitmer's office for comment. This story will be updated with any reply.
During his speech, Vance also addressed taxes, saying, "We're going to fight for when you send a dollar to Washington, D.C., that we spend it wisely. We're going to fight for you to have low taxes. If you're working hard, we're going to fight for you to keep as much of your hard-earned money as possible because I believe that the American dream belongs to American citizens, not to illegal aliens, not to drug cartels, and it doesn't belong to foreign workers. It belongs to workers right here in the state of Michigan."
Watch his full speech in the video player below:
