WARREN, MI -- Trump took the stage at a rally in car country Friday morning as triumphant music played and a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 reached a fever pitch with their cheers.

"I love you too," Trump told the crowd before delving into his support for the state's automotive industry.

Fresh off a debate in the Motor City, Trump told supporters gathered at Macomb Community College in Warren he was a strong supporter of the state and nation's automotive industry.

"We want them to build the cars here," Trump said.

He touted an endorsement from a NASCAR leader and again criticized Ford for planning to build a plant in Mexico.

"I'm with you, folks, I'm with you. And by the way this is the reason I'm leading by a lot in Michigan," Trump said in addressing the outsourcing.

His plan to address the problem is to put a tax on autos shipped into the United States. His message to Ford?

"You're going to pay a 35 percent tax every time you ship a car, truck or part into the United States," Trump said.

He said he was in favor of free trade, but what he wanted to do was "really smart trade."

Trump asked who was a union member, and a few people in the crowd cheered.

"I don't want your money, but I do want your votes," the self-funding candidate quipped.

Ford wasn't the only one to garner criticism from Trump. His list of political adversaries he had harsh words for included Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton; 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney; and fellow Republican contenders Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

A quick recap of what he had to say about his adversaries:

Romney is a "very sad guy" and people are disgusted by him.

"You don't want to have Hillary, Hillary will be a disaster."

Rubio has "conned the people of florida into voting for him."

Cruz is "Lyin' Ted Cruz."

The media is dishonest and "worse than Little Marco and ... Lyin' Ted Cruz." Also, "they are disgusting."

China is stealing from the U.S. economy. in what is the "worst theft in the history of the world"

Sanders "doesn't have a chance."

Sen. Jack Brandenburg, R-Harrison Twp., and Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg, spoke in support of Trump.

"Donald Trump shoots from the hip and he's hip when he shoots," Brandenburg said.

The Macomb County lawmaker said Trump was "one of us."

Looking ahead to Michigan's primary, Trump encouraged voters to get to the polls on March 8. A scoreboard at the event read "2016" for the time and had the score at 59-0. Michigan has 59 Republican delegates up for grabs.

The crowd was mainly supportive. Fran Legato of Chesterfield Township said she wanted to see him in person.

"I think he'd be great for the United States," Legato said.

Alvin Carden of Warren said he was tired of typical politicians and he trusted Trump to do the job.

"I don't expect him to know everything, I expect him to hire the right people," Carden said.

The crowd was hugely supportive, but a handful of dissenters were escorted out by police and security. Trump took the protesters in stride, telling them to get out.

"So much fun, I love it, I love it. USA! USA!" Trump said, starting a chant after one was kicked out.

He also reiterated his promise to build a wall, as well as his support for waterboarding.

"As far as I'm concerned waterboarding is absolutely fine, we should go much further," Trump said.

Looking ahead to the general election in his speech today, Trump said he could beat Hillary Clinton. He urged people to get to the polls.

"I think we're gonna win Michigan," Trump said.

Emily Lawler is a Capitol reporter on MLive's statewide Impact Team. You can reach her at elawler@mlive.com, subscribe to her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @emilyjanelawler.