Republican vice presidential pick JD Vance discussed economic policy during a speech Thursday in Waterford Township.
The Republican campaign has consistently promoted high tariffs on China and a greater reliance on fossil fuels as policies it says would help the U.S. auto industry.
Vance said tariffs are the main way to keep companies from using cheap labor abroad, despite economists saying companies are likely to push those costs onto consumers.
“If you impose a fat tariff on the people who are trying to import that stuff, then American factories and American corporations invest in American workers,” Vance said.
The campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, said she also supports tough-on-China policies when it comes to auto-imports.
The Harris campaign accuses Republican nominee Donald Trump of losing thousands of auto industry jobs during his time in office, a period that includes the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both campaigns have gone out of their way this cycle to reach out to blue-collar union workers.
Harris has spoken to multiple union crowds in Michigan, most recently last week in Lansing.
Meanwhile, during Thursday’s Vance’s speech, the audience heard from the founder of the group Autoworkers for Trump.
Brian Pannebecker said autoworkers have been receptive to former President Trump’s message, despite criticism from United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain.
“Do not believe what you see in the newspapers, do not believe what you see coming out of Shawn Fain’s mouth. He may have endorsed Kamala Harris but the membership of the UAW is voting Donald J. Trump and JD Vance,” Pannebecker said.
Thursday’s event fell in the context of both the Trump and Harris campaigns making their final election push.
The Trump campaign has stayed the course in recent Michigan appearances, hitting Harris on the economy and border security. It’s tried to paint her as a continuation of President Joe Biden’s policies.
Harris campaign events lately have gone further to frame Trump as a unique threat to American democracy.
During his talk Thursday, Vance responded to recent criticism of Trump from officials in the former president's administration.
Trump’s former chief of staff, retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, told the New York Times, he believed Trump fit the definition of a fascist.
Several other former members of Trump’s administration have also questioned his fitness for office.
But Vance dismissed the concerns from Kelly, saying he’s “a disgruntled ex-employee.”
“John Kelly was fired by Donald Trump and he’s pissed off about it and he won’t stop talking about it,” Vance said.
Harris is highlighting several former Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers that have endorsed her. That includes former GOP Congressman Fred Upton, who endorsed Harris Thursday morning.
Despite the endorsements and attacks, the race remains tight in Michigan. In-person early voting starts statewide on Saturday.
Around 18.5% of eligible voters had already cast a ballot either early or absentee by the end of Thursday, according to state data.
Republican Congressman John James said Republicans need to step up and vote early, in stark contrast with Trump campaign messaging during the 2020 and 2016 cycles.
“We wait until the last moment, let the Democrats run up the score, and then we wake up the next morning and we’re surprised when we’ve fallen behind,” James said. “We will secure the election but we also need to turn out our friends and family.”
This year, the Trump campaign is telling its supporters to embrace every voting method available.
