James campaign scrubs some online elements of Trump support

Craig Mauger, Melissa Nann Burke, Beth LeBlanc and Chad Livengood, The Detroit News on Oct 4, 2026

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Images of President Donald Trump were prominent on the campaign pages of Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate John James before the Aug. 4 primary election, but afterward some of them have gone missing.

On Aug. 3, for example, the top image on the home page of James' campaign website was of James standing next to Trump with the words "TRUMP ENDORSED" under the two men and a picture of a Truth Social post by Trump in support of James, according to the Internet Archive's captures of the site.

Now, amid the general election and criticism by Democrats of his ties to the president, that image was no longer on the campaign home page as of Oct. 2. Likewise, James' campaign cover Facebook photo used to be an image of Trump and James. Now, it's an image of James and his family.

In addition, in January, the James campaign released an ad called "Impeached" about James' support for Trump. "The ad underscores that John James is the only candidate for governor who stood with President Trump every time," a January statement from the James campaign said.

The ad was on the campaign's website home page before the primary, according to the Internet Archive. It's not currently. And the link to the ad on YouTube now says "video unavailable."

A James campaign spokeswoman didn't respond to a request about why the campaign had changed the design of the campaign website after the primary.

In that primary race, James won 50% of the vote to get the GOP nomination, defeating businessman Perry Johnson, who got 35%.

Asked about the website changes, Michigan political consultant Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and CEO of the firm Grassroots Midwest, referenced the president's struggling poll numbers.

"It turns out that the president is pretty unpopular with everybody except for his most committed supporters," Hemond said. "That number of most committed supporters is sort of shrinking by the day."

A recent statewide poll of 600 likely Michigan voters from The Detroit News and WDIV-TV (Channel 4) found that 61% of participants disapproved of the job Trump has been doing as president. The survey was conducted by phone from Aug. 31 through Sept. 3 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

For his part, during the fall campaign, James has touted his ability to work with but disagree with Trump.

"I can agree with the president without worshiping him," James said during a Sept. 16 event. "I can disagree with the president without attacking him. And I will always put Michigan first."

However, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said on The Detroit News Political Insider podcast on Oct. 2 that she thought James had made a tactical error by tying himself so closely to the president in the primary.

The midterm election is always a referendum on the party in power, McMorrow said.

"For a state like Michigan, where Trump barely squeaked out a win in 2024, didn't get above 50% of the vote, it would seem to me like a smart strategy if you are a Republican ... is to show that you're a little bit more independent-minded and that you are going to support Michiganders and not work for the president," McMorrow said.

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