Tipsheet

Did Michigan's Secretary of State Really Just Approve This License Plate?

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  September 22, 2025 3:15 PM

It was already an annoying talking point: we all need to turn down the temperature. We? Who is we, liberal America? We’re not shooting people with whom we disagree politically—you are. We’re not saying anything inflammatory. You are. The assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10 and the attempted assassinations of Donald Trump are on you. Tell you people to get a grip. Anything from us, conservatives, is self-defense. That’s a fact. Also, we know it’s a lie. Everything you domestic terrorists say is a fabrication, because in Michigan, you can drive around with an ‘86Trump’ license plate.  Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson approved it. The Midwesterner has more: 

The day Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson lectured her online followers about the “need to turn down the hateful rhetoric and move toward a renewed commitment to civility.”

Pictures recently posted online, however, call into question her department’s commitment to that ideal at a time when Benson is running her own campaign for governor in 2026. 

“Saw this in the wild,” X user donnydoright posted Friday, along with an image of a Michigan license plate. “What the Hell!” 

[…] 

The attached image featured green a Nissan Titan with the license plate “86TRMP” – presumably a reference to eliminating the 47th POTUS. There was also a sticker on the back window of the truck that read, “Nothing says traitor quite like a Trump flag.” 

[…] 

The department’s website states Michigan Vehicle Code 257.803b and 257.803m govern the issuance of personalized plates, and “not all requests will be granted.” 

“The Secretary of State will not issue a configuration of either letters, numbers, or letters and numbers that carries a connotation that is profane or obscene; is a swear word or depiction of a swear word; is sexually explicit or graphic; is excretory-related; is used to describe intimate body parts or genitals; is used to describe alcohol, alcohol use, drugs, drug culture or drug use; is used to describe illegal activities or illegal substances; substantially interferes with plate identification for law enforcement purposes; is used to disparage or promote or condone hate or violence directed at any type of business, group or persons a foreign word falling into these categories, or that conflicts with the regular license plate numbering system,” the site reads. 

So, the plate violates department policy, but Benson apparently approved it. Turn down the temperature, they said.

You first, you murdering traitors. 

What a mess.