In US auto industry capital, Trump slams Biden as 'rotten,' blasts electric vehicle push

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - Skipping the second Republican Party presidential debate in a row, former President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized his successor Joe Biden, blasting him as "rotten."

Trump also launched an attack on Biden's advocacy for electric vehicles, which he called as a "transition to hell."

"For decades you've watched rotten and crooked politicians like Biden treat American jobs as disposable and American workers as expendable," said Trump in his speech at a non-union auto facility in Michigan, the US state with the most car industry jobs.

"They sat back when we got rich by taking bribes to let other countries rape and pillage our jobs and our wealth," he said.

Trump made no mention of the $80 million automaker bailout by the US government in 2009, led by President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden, which is widely credited with saving the US auto industry. After the bailout was enacted, Trump publicly opposed the move.

Trump’s remarks came a day after Biden joined striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the state, making him the first sitting US president to join a picket line.

"Yesterday Joe Biden came to Michigan to pose for photos at the picket line, but it's his policies that send workers to the unemployment line," Trump claimed. "You're all on the picket lines and everything, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference what you get, because in two years you're all going to be out of business."

Biden’s record of job creation has dwarfed his predecessor’s, as when Trump left office the economy had 3 million fewer jobs than when he was sworn in.

While the UAW has historically supported Democrats, including Biden in 2020, the union did not formally endorse Biden during his presidential visit.

Trump strongly condemned Biden's electric vehicle requirements, warning that they could lead to the demise of the American automobile industry.

"A vote for Crooked Joe means the future of the auto industry will be made in China," the former president added, using one of his signature nicknames for political opponents.

With the visit, Trump again skipped the GOP presidential debate, which he has characterized as a “vice presidential debate,” as currently he is far ahead of all his rivals for the Republican Party presidential nomination for 2024.