Trump slams Biden ahead of president’s visit with striking autoworkers

Former President Trump slammed President Biden over his support for the expansion of electric vehicles ahead of Biden’s visit with striking autoworkers in Detroit. 

Trump said in a statement on Tuesday that Biden’s “draconian and indefensible Electric Vehicle mandate will annihilate the U.S. auto industry and cost countless thousands of autoworkers their jobs.” 

“The only thing Biden could say today that would help the striking autoworkers is to announce the immediate termination of his ridiculous mandate,” Trump added. “Anything else is just a feeble and insulting attempt to distract American labor from this vicious Biden betrayal.” 

Biden is set to meet with members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) to show his support for the workers striking amid a labor dispute with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. 

Biden announced Friday he would travel to Detroit to “join the picket line and stand in solidarity” with the UAW. The announcement came after Trump’s campaign revealed plans for Trump to give a speech to autoworkers Wednesday instead of attending the second GOP presidential debate. 

The Trump campaign said in a release on Saturday that Trump will deliver remarks at an auto manufacturer called Drake Enterprises in Clinton Township, Mich., at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the AFL-CIO confirmed to The Hill that Drake is a non-union manufacturer.

The Trump and Biden campaigns have attacked each other over policies they say have hurt the autoworkers and contributed to the strike. 

Trump has repeatedly denounced Biden’s policies on expanding the use of electric vehicles to reduce pollution, referencing an electric vehicle “mandate.” 

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule in April that would require automakers to limit the amount of greenhouse gases their vehicles emit. They are not required to shift their fleets to electric vehicles, but transitioning to electric could be a way for automakers to comply with the rule. 

Biden’s campaign has argued that Biden is the most “pro-union president in history,” while Trump allowed jobs to be sent overseas. 

The UAW has not yet endorsed a candidate in the 2024 race and has expressed concerns over the Biden administration’s plans for electric vehicles. But UAW President Shawn Fain has also slammed Trump, saying last week that, “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.” 

Trump has argued that his policies will help restore jobs and wage growth, while Biden’s policies are hitting the auto industry hard. 

“With me, there will be jobs and wages like you’ve never seen before. Our economy will grow!” he said in the statement. 

Biden and Trump’s visits this week highlight the importance of Michigan and autoworkers in the 2024 general election. Michigan is expected to be a swing state, while labor union members could be a key demographic in a Biden-Trump matchup.

This story was updated at 2:51 p.m.