Bill Clinton says it’s OK to vote for Harris even though Trump’s economy ‘was better’

Former President Bill Clinton encouraged voters in Michigan to throw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris even if they believe the economy was better under former President Donald Trump.

“I want to make three brief points,” Clinton told voters at a rally for Harris in Muskegon Heights, Michigan on Wednesday. “You did pretty well when I was president, and I think I’m entitled to my opinion about who’d be better. Two, I don’t think it’s right to say that people have to vote for Donald Trump because the economy was better… I don’t believe that.”

Clinton’s comments come as both the Trump and Harris campaigns scramble to reach as many voters as possible with less than a week to go before election day, particularly in swing states such as Michigan, where polls show a razor tight race between the two candidates.

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Bill Clinton stumping for VP Harris at rally

Former President Bill Clinton speaks during a Get-Out-The-Vote rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on the first day of North Carolina early voting in Durham, North Carolina, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by Logan Cyrus / AFP)

According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Harris currently holds a slim 0.4 point lead over Trump in Michigan, while the latest Fox News Power Rankings rate the state as a toss-up.

Clinton’s comments were not his first gaffe while hitting the campaign trail for Harris, coming a couple of weeks after the former president told voters in Georgia an immigrant who allegedly killed Georgia-native Laken Riley was not properly vetted before being let into the country.

“You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it. A young woman who had been killed by an immigrant,” Clinton said at the time. “Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted, that probably wouldn’t have happened.”

Despite that gaffe, the campaign brought Clinton to the critical swing state of Michigan to stump for Harris along with Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Bill Clinton with rally crowd behind him

Supporters cheer as former President Bill Clinton arrives to speak during a Get-Out-The-Vote rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on the first day of North Carolina early voting in Durham, North Carolina, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by Logan Cyrus / AFP)

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Tudor Dixon, a Republican who ran for governor against Whitmer in 2022, argued that Clinton was just telling “the truth” during the event in Michigan.

“Bill Clinton told the truth again when he admitted the economy is better under president Trump. Normal people buying groceries or school supplies know that’s true,” Dixon told Fox News Digital. “I’m beginning to wonder if he’s secretly a surrogate for the Trump campaign.”

Nevertheless, Clinton said he was in Michigan to support Harris “enthusiastically,” arguing that “Kamala Harris will be a better president than Donald Trump.”

Kamala Harris speaking at rally

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 28, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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“I want to assure the American dream for my grandchildren,” Clinton said. “I don’t want my 10-year-old granddaughter to have fewer freedoms than her 44-year-old mother.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.