Auto jobs dipped 0.8 per cent during Trump’s term to just over 949,000 in January 2021, when he left office, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics….reports Asian Lite News
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated false claims that Chinese automakers are putting up large factories in Mexico, vowing during a stop in the automaking state of Michigan to slap 200 per cent tariffs on any vehicles the unbuilt plants make and ship to the United States.
Trump also claimed during an event in Flint that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in November, there will be no more auto industry in the US, because work building electric vehicles will go to China.
That statement came even though automaking employment has grown since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, after dropping during Trump’s first term.
“If I don’t win, you will have no auto industry within two to three years,” Trump said, calling any increases under Biden and Harris temporary. You will not have any manufacturing plants. China is going to take over all of them because of the electric car.
He told the crowd he would make foreign automakers build factories in the US by imposing tariffs on imported autos, saying it will be like taking candy from a baby.
Foreign automakers already have multiple US factories, mainly in southern states.
Auto jobs dipped 0.8 per cent during Trump’s term to just over 949,000 in January 2021, when he left office, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Since Biden took office that month, auto and parts jobs rose 13.6 per cent to 1.07 million in August, so there’s no evidence of the industry disappearing. Auto sales were up 2.4 per cent in the first half of this year. Trump said his tariffs would make Chinese vehicles built in Mexico unsellable in the US, forcing automakers from China and elsewhere to set up factories in the US.
They’re owned and built by China in Mexico, and there are a number of them going up right now, Trump said of Chinese factories. Although some Chinese automakers aspire to sell in the US, industry analysts say there are no large Chinese-owned auto factories under construction in Mexico, and there’s only one small Chinese auto assembly factory operating there. It’s run by a company called JAC that builds inexpensive vehicles from kits for sale in that country.
Trump also promised to charge tariffs on vehicles made in other countries if those countries tax US-made vehicles. But often tariffs end up being passed on to consumers in the country that assesses them.
The Harris campaign issued a statement from Michigan Sen. Gary Peters saying that a second Trump term would crush auto jobs, ceding Michigan’s global auto manufacturing leadership to the Chinese government. He said Harris has a plan to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs home “and ensure Michigan workers continue to lead the world in auto manufacturing.
Harris dials Trump after assassination bid
Vice President Kamala Harris held a telephonic conversation with former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) and said that she was “grateful” that he was safe, according to a White House official.
The White House official termed the conversation between two leaders “cordial and brief.” The talks between two leaders came a day after gunfire was reported near Trump’s golf club in Florida’s West Palm Beach on Sunday.
The former president’s campaign declared him “safe.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Sunday that it “is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination.”
In a statement, White House official said, “Vice President Harris called former President Trump this afternoon to speak with him directly to express that she is grateful he is safe. It was a cordial and brief conversation.”
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect accused of attempting to assassinate former US President Donald Trump, has been charged with two offences.
The charges include possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. A detention hearing has been set for September 23 and the arraignment is set for September 30. Routh will remain in jail while awaiting trial.
This was the second assassination attempt on Trump during this presidential campaign. Former US President Donald Trump was also the target of an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Earlier on Sunday, Kamala Harris said that she is “glad” that Donald Trump is safe after reported gunshots near his Florida golf course on Sunday (local time).
“I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe,” the US Vice President wrote on X.
“Violence has no place in America,” she added.
Earlier on Sunday, President Joe Biden said he is relieved that his predecessor was unharmed and asserted that there is no place for political violence or any violence in the country.
Biden commended the Secret Service for their ‘vigilance’ and keeping the former president ‘safe’. He further said that one suspect has been held in custody and an active investigation is underway.
In a statement posted on X, Biden said, “I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe.”
The US President said that he has directed his team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure Donald Trump’s continued safety.
In a statement shared by the White House, Biden stated, “I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened.”
“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety,” he added. (ANI)
ALSO READ: UAE, Japan launch talks on CEPA
