Trump skipped out on the second GOP primary debate to go to a site of the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike in Michigan, a swing state, to deliver a speech.

Trump Skips GOP Debate to Give Speech at Auto Factory in Michigan

9 months ago
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Shane Devine
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Former President Donald Trump skipped out on Wednesday night’s GOP primary debate to go to a site of the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike in Michigan, a swing state whose rust belt workers are crucial for winning the 2024 election. Trump also skipped the first debate of the primary season to do an exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson on the social media platform X.

Instead of attending, Trump held a rally and delivered a speech. His campaign livestreamed it on the video hosting platform Rumble. Rumble, an ardently pro-speech outlet, notably refused to demonetize Russell Brand last week when recommended to do so by a member of the UK government.

After getting off his plane, a modified Boeing 757 nicknamed “Trump Force One,” Trump stopped briefly to give comment on his intentions to the press. “We’re going to see the UAW,” he said.

On his way to the factory where he was set to give his speech, a group of supporters formed a welcome committee complete with numerous signs and a float. “Looks like a rally. Hints of 2016,” one X user commented.

Trump was given a tour of the Duke Enterprises factory before giving the speech. NBC reported that the audience was comprised of a mix of UAW workers and employees from the factory’s host company Duke.

Trump took to the podium shortly after the planned 8:00PM slot, as his campaign went live on Rumble.

1. “A vote for crooked Joe means the future of the auto industry will be Made in China!” 

“My pledge to every automaker is this: a vote for President Trump means the future of the automobile will be Made in America.” Chants of “USA! USA!” followed. He promised more American jobs with high wages. Trump boasted about his great track record, claiming he brought auto jobs back and made sure existing ones did not leave. He also implied Michigan was stolen by the Democratic Party in the 2020 election.

Trump mocked Biden’s claim to be the most pro-union president in history: “His entire career has been an act of economic treason and union destruction. He’s destroyed unions, shipping millions of jobs overseas while personally taking money from foreign nations hand over fist. Look at the money he got from China! Look what’s coming out!” he exclaimed.

He went on to criticize Biden’s record, as well as Hillary Clinton’s, on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), North American Federation Trade Association (NAFTA), and other trade deals. By contrast, Trump touted his record as a tariff-happy protectionist, affirming that he would engage in it again if re-elected. He reminded the audience that he withdrew from the TPP after being elected president.

2. “Barack Hussein Obama”

Trump then went in on former President Barack Obama, referring to him as “Barack Hussein Obama” and asking who had heard of him before the 2008 election. He referred to Obama’s administration as “globalist” and “bloodsucking,” saying it drained autoworker jobs from America and sold them overseas and to Mexico.

“I took on communist China like no administration in history,” Trump boasted. He said he brought in hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. treasury through tariffs and renegotiating trade deals, and $28 billion dollars for U.S. farmers.

Trump asked the audience to get their union leaders to endorse him, and he’ll “handle the rest.” He said there would be no point in getting pay increases if they are set to lose their jobs in one to two years due to Biden’s environmental and economic mandates and regulations.

3. “They say the happiest day when you buy an electric car is the first ten minutes you’re driving it.”

The former president also slammed Biden’s EV mandate that nearly 70% of all cars made in the U.S. must be fully electric. “These are cars for people who want to make very quick trips,” he joked. “They say the happiest day when you buy an electric car is the first ten minutes you’re driving it. And then after that panic sets in because you’re worried, “where the hell am I going to get a charge to keep this thing going?” Panic!” He made reference to the Biden administration’s (“fascists, Marxists”) desire to get rid of internal combustion engine vehicles, noting that 100% of the parts Drake Enterprises produces would be made illegal by 2030 under Biden’s mandate.

“And yes, it’s true, today’s Democratic Party wants to legalize drugs, shoplifting, and sexual mutilation of your children, but they want to allow your gas-powered Silverados and F-150s to die,” he read off the teleprompter. “Under a Trump administration, gasoline engines will be allowed, and sex changes for children will be banned, is that OK?” The crowd positively erupted into applause and whistles, a standing ovation.

4. “It’s not conservative, it’s common sense.”

Trump mocked the fact that he even needed to talk about such topics. “The country’s gone insane. You know, a lot of it—they say, “You’re so conservative,” I say no I’m not, I’m a person of common sense. It’s not conservative, it’s common sense.”

Trump had harsh words to say about Ron DeSantis, his rival in the GOP election. He said he tried to destroy social security, which he is now backpedaling from, and destroy the minimum wage as well as Medicare. Then, he came back around to Biden and criticized Democrats for engaging in indictments simply because they don’t like him, saying it was a bad foreboding for the future of justice in the country.

“You need to send a message and join the ultimate strike against the globalist class by casting your vote for a gentleman named Donald J. Trump in the most important election of our lifetime.”

Trump hit on China and Taiwan, as well as Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. By keeping gas prices low, Trump said he would have made sure Putin remained too poor to conduct the invasion, claiming that Putin was getting rich off high oil prices and was using it to exploit Biden’s weaknesses.

“If we can afford hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine, then we can afford to have an auto industry that pays our workers a good living wage and keeps our workers working,” he added.

5. “Expel the globalists”

Trump concluded his rather long, winding speech with another rallying cry against the globalists. “And now we’re coming back to do it all over again. And I promise you this, with me as your president, our opponents will lose and our American workers will be the biggest winner of them all. So with your help and with your vote, we will expel the globalists from our government, we will evict crooked Joe Biden from the White House, we will put America and our workers first—we’re gonna put ’em first—and we’ll do something that’s very very special that I’ve been saying for a long time and we had it going at a level that nobody ever thought possible: we will Make America Great Again.”

Ahead of the speech, UAW President Shawn Fain made clear his lack of friendliness toward Trump. “I see no point in meeting with him, because I don’t think the man has any bit of care about what our workers stand for, what the working class stands for,” he said. “He serves a billionaire class and that’s what’s wrong this country.”

In a letter sent to the Detroit Free Press, UAW Vice President for General Motors Mike Booth wrote, “Let me be blunt. Donald Trump is coming off as a pompous a–hole. Coming to Michigan to speak at a nonunion employer and pretending it has anything to do with our fight at the Big Three is just more verbal diarrhea from the former president.”

Yesterday, Joe Biden beat Trump to the UAW picket line, getting a photo op with union workers and blustered through a hurried, curt speech. “Folks, stick with it because you deserve the significant raise you need and other benefits,” Biden said, dressed in UAW gear. “Let’s get back what we lost, OK? If we can save them, then it’s about time for them to step up for us.”

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