Last night Donald Trump brought his “Thank You Tour” to Michigan, energetically delivering his post-campaign stump to an enthusiastic crowd. He spoke from prepared text, with occasional impromptu digressions, and his messaging was well received. But there was a missed opportunity.

Trump’s advisors counsel emphasis on inclusion when publicly relishing his victory. That is why amidst the ridicule of the media and punditry class who “got it wrong”, he is certain to call out the groups who surprisingly put him over the top. He touts the African American vote that surpassed Romney’s 2012 performance, asserting his “new deal for the inner cities” deprived Hillary of the overwhelming support she needed from this group. He lauded Hispanics for recognizing his call for strengthening legal immigration that protects the jobs and prospects for naturalized citizens and all who play by the rules, again draining numbers from a constituency Hillary relied upon. Mostly, there is the genuine gratitude to women voters who did not flock to Hillary like gender-lemmings, as was predicted. But Michigan presented a unique chance to speak to another group that eyes his incoming administration with great trepidation – the Muslim population. Imagine if he had offered this fully-rational, tough-love addendum, in his own inimical style, in his oratory:

“You know, we are here in Michigan. Michigan, home to some of the largest Muslim-American communities in the country. Hard working people. People who suffered greatly in their homelands at the hands of tyrants and jihadists. Many came here in the ‘90’s, from Kenyan refugee camps having escaped slaughter in their native Somalia by war lords and despots. Those refugees were grateful to America for taking them in. They worked hard, built communities, raised each other up, and appreciated the new life offered in America. Their children, and the children that followed, would be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth, a nation of freedom and tolerance for all.

“But this next generation has not fared so well. The failings of the education system, the shrinking job opportunities, the onset of cultural decline in America, the ever-intrusive social media and the resultant safe haven of political correctness, all contributed to a generation of disillusioned young people. They do not share the misery and persecution their parents endured to get here. Growing up in America, living off the hard work of their parents and handouts from the State, they had it good. But still, in light of world events, resentment began building; some from this generation were becoming radicalized. They were becoming radicalized on college campuses, radicalized on the internet, radicalized by ideological Imams, and radicalized in prisons.

“The generous America that took in their parents and grandparents, gave them refuge and sustenance, was no longer the shared memory. Instead, the propaganda from the left belittled American values and for many, gave rise to anti-American sentiment. It is this generation of Muslim-Americans I want to win back. I want to win them back by delivering on the expectations they had growing up; that America was indeed the land of opportunity, of tolerance, of justice for all. I want to give disaffected Muslims a reason to believe in America as their parents did. I want to build an economy and a standard of living in this country that will be the envy of the entire world and will invite assimilation, not promote identity politics.

“So I want to make clear, and no better place to say it than right here in Michigan, that my administration will by every means necessary protect this nation from the threat of radical Islamist terrorism. And if you want to throw your lot in with ISIS or al Qaeda and try to bring the same terror and totalitarian rule to these shores that caused generations of hardship and bloodshed in the Middle East and beyond, you will find me a formidable enemy. But if instead you want to make a home here in the United States, come here legally and with the right intentions, obey our laws, share in the coming prosperity of this country and give back as you can, you will find no greater friend than me”.

December 12, 2016