Vice President Kamala Harris dunked on former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, particularly on the auto industry at her rally Friday night, with an assist from NBA star and Michigan native, Magic Johnson.
“When it came to building the cars of the future, Donald Trump sat on the sidelines and let China dominate and then he talks down to American workers, saying ‘we can’t compete with Chinese workers,'” Harris said. “And make no mistake, Donald Trump is no friend of labor.”
Harris’ attacks focused on what she said was her rival’s unkept promises on manufacturing and putting Michigan auto jobs at risk something her campaign attacked Trump on the same topic in a digital ad launched last month.
The vice president also highlighted 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.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally at the Dort Financial Center, Oct. 4, 2024, in Flint, Mich.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
“So, two days ago, Donald Trump’s running mate suggested that if Trump wins, he might let the Grand River assembly plant in Lansing close down, the same plant that our administration helped save earlier this year, along with 650 union jobs,” Harris said. “Michigan, we together fought hard for those jobs, and you deserve a president who won’t put them at risk.”
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.
“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.
In Michigan, Trump is running a new ad targeting auto workers, accusing Harris of wanting to “end all gas powered cars” and force Americans to drive electric vehicles. Harris shot back Friday night.
“Let us be clear: Contrary to what my opponent is suggesting, I will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive,” Harris said. “But here’s what I will do, I will invest in communities like Flint.”
Johnson, who is from Lansing and went to Michigan State, spoke in the program ahead of Harris, and praised her as “strong,” “smart” and “passionate.”
US businessman and former basketball player Magic Johnson speaks at a campaign event for US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, October 4, 2024. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images
“Nobody’s going to outwork her. She’s committed to you as the people United States, the people of Michigan. She’s committed to you,” Johnson said. “She’s going to be a president for everybody. And one thing she’s going to do is finally unite us, bring us together, that other party is trying to tear us down.”
But the five-time NBA Finals champion took time to directly address Black men, a demographic whose support for Democrats has softened.
“There’s a lot of Black men in here. I don’t mean to not talk to other people, but this is important,” Johnson said. “Our Black men, we’ve got to get them out to vote, that’s number one.”
“Kamala’s opponent promised a lot of things last time to the Black community that he did not deliver on,” Johnson added. “And we gotta make sure Black men understand that. So, that’s why I’m here: To make sure I help Black men understand, first, get out and vote, and then vote for the next president of the United States Kamala Harris.”
Johnson also called on America to take inspiration from Mexico, which swore in its first woman president on Tuesday.
Earlier Friday, 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.
