On the same day President Joe Biden pitched his economic vision to union workers in Philadelphia, former President Donald Trump sent a message to auto workers in Michigan, claiming their industry would not survive Biden’s push for electric vehicles.
Trump told them they need to vote for him to save their jobs, taking to Truth Social on Labor Day to address the swing-state auto workers.
“The Great State of Michigan will not have an auto industry anymore if Crooked Joe Biden’s crazed concept of “all Electric Cars” goes into effect. CHINA WILL TAKE IT ALL, 100%. United Auto Workers, VOTE FOR TRUMP. Get your leaders to ENDORSE ME, I WILL KEEP ALL OF THESE GREAT JOBS, AND BRING IN MANY MORE. CHOICE IN SCHOOLS, AND CHOICE IN CARS!!!” Trump posted.
Michigan has been the cradle of the U.S. auto industry, home to the country’s big three automakers. In 2021, 175,745 jobs in the state were in the motor vehicle sector, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Still, that figure is dwarfed by peaks in the 1970s, when some years the industry employed over 450,000 workers.
About 146,000 Michigan auto workers are currently members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union who are set to go on strike if they do not enter into a new contract with General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford by September 14. The union members under UAW President Shawn Fain are demanding a 46% pay increase, a 32-hour workweek, and the return of traditional pensions, as reported by The Hill.
Trump addressed Fain directly in another post, claiming that Biden’s electric vehicle policy is an existential threat to the U.S. auto manufacturing industry:
“Shawn Fain, the respected President of the United Auto Workers, cannot even think about allowing ALL ELECTRIC CARS — THEY WILL ALL BE MADE IN CHINA, and the Auto Industry in America will cease to exist! There is already a giant ‘E GLUT,’ they don’t go far or long, are very expensive, and the consumer must be given a CHOICE. Vote for TRUMP, and I will stop this Madness, IMMEDIATELY! Mexico & Canada LOVE Biden’s idiotic policy. SAVE MICHIGAN and the other Auto States. SAVE THE AMERICAN CONSUMER!!!”
Trump’s direct appeal to unionized workers came as Biden gave a Labor Day address to crowds of unionized workers in Philadelphia. Union shops are typically considered Democratic Party strongholds. However, Biden is working to shore up perceptions of his handling of the economy, which has been seen as a weakness going into the 2024 election, reported the Associated Press.
When Biden was asked about the potential UAW strike, he said he did not think it would come to that, per the AP. His words surprised Fain, who said he was “shocked” and that Biden “must know something we don’t know.”
“I think we’ve got a long ways to go,” Fain said, according to the AP. “All three are required to have an agreement done by September 14. That’s the deadline for all three. And if they don’t there will be action.”
The Biden administration has set a goal of making electric cars two-thirds of new car sales by 2032 through tougher emissions standards, as reported by The Hill. The plan is opposed by the attorneys general of 25 states, who sent a letter in July to the EPA stating that the proposal would greatly harm the economy.