Harris and Walz show support for labor during campaign stop at UAW hall in Wayne
Harris did not take questions from reporters at the event, but did respond to a shouted question that she will debate Trump in September.
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses United Auto Workers members at UAW Local 900 in Wayne, Michigan, alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (left) and UAW President Shawn Fain (right), on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.
Members of the United Auto Workers union got up close with the Democratic presidential ticket at a union hall in Wayne on Thursday.
Joined by Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris told a group of about 150 UAW members that the government should be staying out of their lives.
“We want to recognize the right all people have to freedom and liberty to make choices, especially those that are about heart and home and not have their government telling them what to do,” said Harris.
The event was held at UAW Local 900 — across the street from the Ford Stamping Plant in Wayne. Shauna Lewis, a worker at the Ford plant, says former President Donald Trump’s past actions shows he doesn’t care about the working class.
“It says a lot when we are on strike, and our former president came to Michigan, visited an Assembly Plant that doesn’t even have a union — that spoke volumes,” she said.
Harris did not take questions from reporters at the event, but did respond to a shouted question that she will debate Trump in September.
Trump spoke for more than an hour on Thursday in his first news conference since Harris became the Democratic nominee, confirming that he will debate Harris on Sept. 10 and saying he’d be pushing for two more debates. He also made several false claims throughout the news conference and called Harris “stupid” several times.
UAW President Shawn Fain says the vice president shouldn’t sweat it.
“Well, he calls me stupid too, so I say that’s just normal Donald Trump,” said Fain.
Harris told rallygoers in Wayne that the Republican nominee is only running for president to serve his own interests.
During his speech on Thursday, Walz — who was one of the union’s top choices for Harris’ running mate — said another Trump administration would be a threat to workers.
“One of the goals of that, plain and simple. And they know this, this has been going on forever. Get rid of labor unions and get rid of the voices that we bring. They can do whatever the hell they want then.”
Donald Trump has said — and his campaign continues to claim — that no president has done more for auto workers that him.
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