When Distraction Wins and Michigan Pays the Price
by Allie Walker
Another wild week in Michigan politics, with top headlines featuring my favorite swear word, the automotive industry, and community protests. If only we were focused on Michigan’s long-term success… but I digress.
The Detroit Auto Show kicks off this week with more subdued fanfare and a renewed commitment to interactivity, bridging the experience from the show floor to the computer screen. Already, the Route 66 drive celebrating the highway’s 100-year anniversary has generated compelling content, strong interest, and heartfelt storytelling beyond anything I’ve seen at the Auto Show in recent years. While it doesn’t harken back to the pre-COVID spectacle, it does innovate for today’s audience, and isn’t that the point? In a world where you can buy a car from your phone, this evolution feels necessary.
Still, I’ve probably written more about the Auto Show itself than much of the national media, which has been consumed by a certain f-word and gesture made by President Trump during his Ford plant tour. Back in my day, this would have been the stuff of press secretary nightmares. But in the era of viral clips and political extremes, it may be exactly what the President’s team was hoping for. It certainly wasn’t what Ford wanted; the company quickly suspended the employee involved. Yet, in a strange way, everyone seems to be getting what they want: a distracting news cycle for the President and nearly $1 million raised for the employee through GoFundMe.
The real tragedy is that substantive, important issues discussed at the Detroit Economic Club panel—and during the President’s speech—were largely overshadowed. Tariffs and ongoing uncertainty threaten to cripple the auto industry. This isn’t just about the big OEMs; it’s about suppliers and the entire ecosystem that supports them. One of my favorite CEOs, Mary Buchzeiger of Lucerne International, spoke candidly about the pressure current policies are placing on her business. This isn’t new territory for her—Mary testified before Congress during the first Trump Administration about the impact of steel tariffs.
And I haven’t even touched on the protests unfolding across Michigan communities as multiple data center projects scout locations and seek local partnerships. What is going on in Michigan? Is Mercury in retrograde? Oh wait—it’s an election year. And if history is any guide, these wild times are only going to intensify as we march toward November.