Trump delivered a speech littered with falsehoods at the Detroit Economic Club (DEC) on Tuesday — less than a week after an ICE agent murdered Renee Good in Minneapolis. DEC says Trump has an ‘open invitation’ to speak whenever he wants. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is listed as a DEC Board member.
By Nancy Levine Stearns | January 14, 2026 (Photo Credit: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)
In a speech littered with false claims about the economy, President Donald Trump addressed the Detroit Economic Club (DEC) on Tuesday, less than a week after an ICE agent murdered Renee Good in Minneapolis. The president also lied about elections, falsely saying he won the popular vote three times. Trump’s lies about the 2020 election spurred the Jan. 6, 2021, violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Despite the rise of fascism, led by the Trump regime, all 87 members of the Detroit Economic Club Board of Directors (listed below) extend an “open invitation” to Trump to speak anytime, defaulting to DEC policy, according to a DEC spokesperson, as previously reported by Impactivize.
In a phone conversation with Impactivize, the DEC spokesperson said, “When the White House calls,” as the Trump White House did, the president has an “open invitation.”
The spokesperson cited DEC’s “standing policy” to welcome presidents, saying the group is nonpartisan and has presented past presidents regardless of political party affiliations. DEC posted on X during Trump’s speech yesterday: “.@potus at our #econclub podium, joining sitting Presidents like Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush.”
Only one Board member of the Detroit Economic Club has publicly commented about Trump’s open invitation to speak at the DEC — and he defended DEC’s decision to host Trump.
Rich Homberg, President and CEO of Detroit PBS, is a Board member of DEC. He reiterated DEC’s rationale for hosting Trump. In a message to Impactivize, Homberg said DEC “is a truly bipartisan organization where a multitude of voices have always been welcome.” He wrote, “I was introduced to the DEC when I first got to Detroit two decades ago and have long believed in its mission, as do the most significant leaders of our community. Unfiltered voices on the organization’s stage lead to a more informed community.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is also listed as a Board member of DEC. In his speech on Tuesday, Trump said “Starting February 1, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities.”
Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, in Rep. Dingell’s Michigan Congressional District, were added to Trump’s “sanctuary jurisdictions” list in May, according to MLive.
Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, is also listed as a Board member of DEC. Benson is running for Governor of Michigan.
Neither Rep. Dingell nor Sec. Benson have responded to questions about their DEC Board member roles; it is unknown whether they agree with DEC’s policy to extend an open invitation to Trump to speak whenever he wants to.
No other Board members of the Detroit Economic Club have publicly commented nor responded to inquiries. As of this writing, here is the full list of Board members, according to the DEC website:
Detroit Economic Club Board of Directors
Sandy Pierce
Board Chair
Detroit Economic Club
Michelle Acciavatti
Managing Director, North America Health, Wealth and Career Leader, WTW
Jim Anderson
Founder, President & CEO, Urban Science
Linda Apsey
President & CEO, ITC Holdings Corp.
Neveen Awad
Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Mary Barra
Chairman & CEO, General Motors
The Honorable Sandy Baruah
President & CEO, Detroit Regional Chamber
The Honorable Jocelyn Benson
Secretary of State, Michigan Department of State
Hussein Berry
Vice President, Delta Air Lines
Michael Bickers
Regional President, Detroit and SE Michigan, PNC Bank
Carolyn Cassin
President & CEO, Michigan Women Forward
Beth Chappell
Board Member, Detroit Economic Club
Tim Codd
Founder, President & CEO, Masako Consulting LLC
Mary Culler (Vice President)
President, Ford Motor Company Fund
Chair, Michigan Central
David C. Dauch
Chairman & CEO, AAM
Steven Davis
Michigan Market President, Comerica Bank
Tina Freese Decker
President & CEO, Corewell Health
The Honorable Debbie Dingell
Congresswoman, Michigan’s 6th District
Mark A. Douglas
President, Avis Ford Inc.
Jeff Donofrio
President & CEO, Business Leaders For Michigan
Jason Drake (Honorary)
Managing Director, Plante Moran
The Honorable Mike Duggan
[Former] Mayor, City of Detroit
Matthew B. Elliott
Board Member, Detroit Economic Club
Bob Ellis
Vice President & General Manager, WDIV-TV & ClickOn Detroit
Bill Emerson
President, Rocket Companies
John Fikany
President & CEO, The Fikany Group
Steve Finateri
Vice President/Market Manager, WJR Radio
David Fischer Jr.
CEO, Suburban Automotive Services
David Foltyn
Chairman & CEO, Honigman
Bill Ford Jr.
Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company
Mindi Fynke
Founder & CEO, Ike Investments
Ralph Gerson
Treasurer & Director, William Davidson Foundation
Ambassador Yousif B. Ghafari
Chairman, Ghafari, Inc.
Dan Gilbert
Founder & Chairman, Rocket Companies
David Girodat
Regional President, Fifth Third Bank – Eastern Michigan
Steve Grigorian
President & CEO, Detroit Economic Club
Peter Gudritz (Vice President)
Director, Office of the CEO & Executive Communications, The Dow Chemical Company
Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
President, Michigan State University
Richard Hampson
Metro Detroit Market President, Old National Bank
Rich Homberg
President & CEO, Detroit PBS
Linda Hubbard
President & CEO, Carhartt
Christopher Ilitch
President & CEO, Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
Yasmeen Jasey
Michigan President, Citizens
Hans-Werner Kaas
Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Alan Jay Kaufman
Chairman, President & CEO, H.W. Kaufman Financial Group, Inc.
Tricia Keith
President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Angie Kelly
Office Managing Partner, EY
Patrick Killeen
Michigan Office Managing Principal, Baker Tilly
Sam Klemet
Executive Director, Detroit Auto Dealers Association
Ronia Kruse
President & CEO, OpTech
Michael Land
Metro Detroit Market President, The Huntington National Bank
Christopher Layden
President & CEO, Kelly
David Lewis
President, AT&T Michigan
Heidi Magyar (Vice President)
Community & Social Impact and Heritage Operations Executive, General Motors
Ben Maibach III
Vice Chairman & Chief Community Officer, Barton Malow Company
Shatica McDonald
Michigan Office Managing Director, Accenture
Mark Mendola
Vice Chairman – U.S. Managing Partner, PwC
Tony Michaels
President & CEO, The Parade Company
Gary Miles
Editor & Publisher, The Detroit News
Nichole Avery Nichols
Editor & Vice President, Detroit Free Press
James B. Nicholson
Chairman, PVS Chemicals, Inc.
Jerry Norcia
Chairman, President & CEO, DTE Energy
David Parent
Michigan Managing Principal, Deloitte
Roger S. Penske
Chairman, Penske Corporation
Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D.
President, Oakland University
Stephen R. Polk
CEO, Highgate LLC
Lori Powe
Chief Client Officer / Principal, NBS Commercial Interiors
Peter Provenzano, Jr.
Chancellor, Oakland Community College
John Rakolta Jr.
Chairman, Walbridge
Terry Rhadigan
Chair, Detroit Sports Organizing Corp.
Robert Riney
President & CEO, Henry Ford Health
Andra Rush
Founder, President & CEO, The Rush Group LLC
Dr. Mark Saffer
President, Work-Safe
Ray Scott
President & CEO, Lear Corporation
Nicole Sherard-Freeman
President & CEO, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Ed Siaje
President, Bank of America – Detroit
Private Bank Market Executive
Dr. Suzy Siegle
President, Walsh College
Dr. Tarek Sobh
President, Lawrence Technological University
Amy Solek
Detroit Office Leader, PwC
Rachel Stewart
CEO, Gardner-White
Herbert J. Strather
President & CEO, Strather & Associates LLC
Jeff Tate
Chief Financial Officer, Dow
Jeff Terrill
Great Lakes Market Executive, Flagstar
Arn Tellem
Vice Chairman, Detroit Pistons
Jason Tinsley
Vice Chair, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Kevin Voigt (Honorary)
Michigan Managing Partner, KPMG
Leonard Wolfe
Chairman & CEO, Dykema Gossett
Board members of the Detroit Economic Club, with one exception, have not publicly commented nor responded to inquiries. This story will be updated if any DEC Board members comment on DEC’s open invitation to Trump.