In recent news, former President Donald Trump continues to falsely claim that he was named “Man of the Year” in Michigan before he began his presidential campaign, marking the third consecutive election where he has made this assertion. During a speech in Detroit on Saturday, Trump reiterated this claim, stating, “You know, I got the ‘Man of the Year’ in Michigan. Years ago, long before politics, like 12, 13 years ago.”
However, despite Trump’s repeated statements, the facts remain unchanged. There is no evidence to support his claim of being named “Man of the Year” in Michigan before his presidential run. Michigan does not have a “Man of the Year” award, Trump has never resided in Michigan, and he has failed to specify who supposedly bestowed this honor upon him and when it occurred.
Despite nearly seven years of media fact-checking on Trump’s claims, a Republican group in Michigan, the Oakland County Republican Party, did present him with a “Man of the Decade” award in 2023. However, Trump has made it clear that this is not the award he is referring to, insisting that he was named “Man of the Year” in Michigan over a decade ago.
Trump’s campaign has not responded to CNN’s request for any evidence supporting his claim. Furthermore, Trump himself has expressed uncertainty about the origins of the award, admitting in past speeches that he was unsure who gave him the award and why. The most plausible explanation to date came from former Republican US congressman Dave Trott of Michigan, who clarified that Trump had suggested he received the “Man of the Year” award at a 2013 event in Michigan, but Trott did not bestow any such honor upon him.
Trott, who has since become a vocal critic of Trump, revealed that he refrained from correcting the president during the 2017 roundtable event where Trump made the claim. Now out of Congress, Trott feels comfortable setting the record straight and debunking Trump’s unfounded assertions.
