FREELAND, Mich. — Vice President JD Vance is visiting Michigan on Friday, making his first official stop in the state since he and President Donald Trump won the Nov. 5 election.

Vance arrived late Friday morning at MBS International Airport in Saginaw County. He was joined by his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, and Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Republican and former U.S. senator from Ohio is expected to speak on the economy in the afternoon at Vantage Plastics in Bay County. The company manufactures plastics for the automotive, agriculture and medical industries, according to its website.

Vance and Loeffler will deliver "remarks highlighting America's industrial resurgence," according to the White House.

The appearance will come amid national debate over Trump's economic policies. The U.S. stock market declined sharply early in the week as a trade war over tariffs escalated between the U.S. and Canada.

In a post on social media Tuesday, Trump vowed to "substantially increase" upcoming tariffs on cars coming into the U.S. from Canada unless "egregious, longtime tariffs" aren't dropped by Canada.

"Those cars can easily be made in the USA," Trump wrote of cars manufactured in Canada. "Also, Canada pays very little for national security, relying on the United States for military protection. We are subsidizing Canada to the tune of more than 200 billion dollars a year."

In March, Trump announced a one-month delay, until April 2, of blanket 25% tariffs on imported vehicles from Canada and Mexico. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has criticized the planned 25% tariffs, saying they represented a "blunt tool when the Michigan economy is on the line."

"Think about this: 70% of all the auto parts we make in Michigan go directly to our neighbors," Whitmer said during a speech in January. "Every time a Michigan auto part crosses over the border and gets taxed, those costs will be passed on to you at the dealership.

"Sometimes, it happens a couple times throughout production. That means you’ll pay more to buy a Silverado, fix the engine in your Mustang or replace the fender on your Jeep Grand Cherokee."

Michigan had 165,100 jobs in vehicle and parts manufacturing in December, according to preliminary numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

On Thursday, The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget said the state's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate had ticked upward to 5.3% in January, from 5.2% in December. However, total employment in Michigan also rose by 6,000 in January, according to the state department's data.

A Wednesday report from the federal Labor Department said the consumer price index increased 2.8% in February from a year ago, down from 3% the previous month.

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