Former President Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance spoke in Saginaw Township Tuesday. It's a part of an ongoing effort to encourage Republican voters to vote early in one of the most important states in the race for the White House.
Vance gave remarks at the Center Courts at Saginaw Township. The Ohio Senator centered his remarks around the economy. He touted Trump’s plan to implement new tariffs on products made by foreign competitors and American companies that ship jobs overseas.
“Why don't we cut the taxes of the hard-working Americans in this room? And why don't we penalize companies that are shipping American jobs overseas,” Vance said.
Vance said that the tariff strategy would help American auto companies. “How many General Motors or how many Ford automobiles do you see in the streets of Europe? None,” he said. “Those countries have applied aggressive tariffs to the cars that we make right here in the state of Michigan,” he said.
(Ford has a European subsidiary, and General Motors sells its electric Cadillac Lyriq in Europe.)
“We're going to offer them a very, very simple deal," Vance said of other countries. "Either number one, you let us sell Michigan automobiles all over the world or number two, you're going to pay a big fat tariff when you try to bring foreign cars back into the American market.”
Vance talked about making interest payments on car loans tax deductible — Trump has floated that idea, which would likely benefit only people who itemize their tax deductions. He also spoke on housing policy, saying lowering mortgage interest rates and lowering regulation to build houses would drive down costs.
The senator spoke extensively on immigration, saying the Trump plan to deport millions of illegal aliens would make housing cheaper. He said he supported stronger policies on immigration to address the fentanyl crisis, citing his own mother’s history of addiction.
“The only way we're going to get our country back is if we do what Donald J. Trump has promised. Use the United States military against those Mexican drug cartels and make America safe for American citizens again,” he said.
Republican State Rep. Bill G. Schutte expressed confidence about the upcoming election. He and Republican candidate for Michigan's 8th Congressional District Paul Junge spoke before Vance.
“I'm the chairman of our House Republican campaign committee. I eat, sleep and breathe this race for the Michigan State House,” Schutte said. “I'm very confident that we're going to take back our statehouse. People are frustrated with the price of gas and the price of groceries, that their energy bills are up and up.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Saginaw County on Monday. The county has been closely watched as it voted for Trump in 2016, and President Joe Biden in 2020.
In a written statement, the Harris campaign said that “a second Trump term would be even more dangerous than the first and would increase costs for families by nearly $4,000 a year and hurt small business owners.”
