Vice President Kamala Harris will hit former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, on the auto industry at her rally in Flint, Michigan, on Friday evening, a senior campaign official said, after calling the former president an “existential threat” to labor.
Harris’ attacks will focus on her claim that Trump and Vance are putting Michigan auto jobs at risk, the official said. They attacked Trump on the same topic in a digital ad launched last month.
The official added that Harris is going to highlight comments that Vance made earlier this week about whether the Trump administration would honor a $500 million grant going to General Motors to convert a Lansing plant to make electric vehicles.
Asked by the Detroit Free Press on Wednesday whether Trump would honor or cancel the Biden administration grant, Vance didn’t give a direct answer.
“First of all, the $500 million grant came along with some really ridiculous strings and no protections for American jobs not getting shipped to foreign countries because a lot of not just the cars themselves, but the battery components, the minerals, this stuff is all produced in China, and so when we write massive checks on American taxpayer expense to these companies, a lot of times what we’re doing is selling American middle class jobs to the Communist Chinese, and we ought to be doing exactly the opposite,” Vance told the Detroit Free Press.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event at the Redford Township Fire Department North Station in Redford Township, Mich., Oct. 4, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
“We ought to be rebuilding the American middle class and investing in our own workers, not shipping our tax dollars off to electric vehicles made in China,” Vance added.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain will join Harris for the rally. Fain, whose union endorsed Harris, also joined the vice president for a rally in Detroit on Labor Day.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain speaks to the attendees during a campaign rally for Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in Romulus, Michigan, August 7, 2024.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
On Friday afternoon, ahead of the Flint rally, Harris stopped by a firehouse in Redford Township, right outside Detroit, where she labeled Trump “an existential threat” to labor.
“Donald Trump’s track record is a disaster for working people, and he’s trying to gaslight people all over our country, but we know the facts and we know the truth: He is an existential threat to America’s labor movement,” Harris claimed.
In a short statement Thursday, Edward Kelly, the president of the firefighters’ union, announced his board voted not to endorse a candidate for president — following the Teamsters’ lead.
“This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity,” Kelly said.
Senator Kamala Harris has labeled President Donald Trump as a significant threat to labor and has announced her intentions to target him on auto industry issues in Michigan. Harris, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, has been vocal about her concerns regarding the current administration’s policies and their impact on American workers.
In a recent speech in Detroit, Harris criticized Trump for his handling of trade agreements and his failure to protect American jobs in the auto industry. She highlighted the importance of the auto industry to Michigan’s economy and the need for strong leadership to ensure its continued success.
Harris has pledged to fight for fair trade deals that benefit American workers and to hold corporations accountable for their treatment of employees. She has also promised to invest in job training programs and infrastructure projects to create more opportunities for workers in Michigan and across the country.
The senator’s focus on auto industry issues in Michigan is strategic, as the state is a key battleground in presidential elections and has been hit hard by job losses in the manufacturing sector. By targeting Trump on these issues, Harris hopes to appeal to voters who are concerned about the future of their jobs and their communities.
Harris’s campaign has already gained momentum in Michigan, with many residents expressing support for her message of economic justice and worker empowerment. As the race for the Democratic nomination heats up, Harris’s stance on labor issues could set her apart from other candidates and help her build a strong base of support in key states like Michigan.
In conclusion, Senator Kamala Harris is positioning herself as a champion for American workers and a fierce opponent of President Trump’s policies on labor and trade. By targeting him on auto industry issues in Michigan, Harris is hoping to win over voters who are looking for a candidate who will fight for their interests and protect their jobs. Only time will tell if her strategy pays off, but one thing is clear: Harris is not backing down from the challenge of taking on Trump and standing up for working Americans.
