Wed Sep 18 01:17:40 UTC 2024: ## Trump Promises Economic Boom With Steep Tariffs in Michigan Rally
**Flint, Michigan** – Former President Donald Trump rallied supporters in Flint, Michigan, Tuesday night, touting his economic plan centered on imposing steep tariffs on goods imported from China, Mexico, and other countries. He claimed these tariffs would revitalize the state’s automotive industry and drive an economic boom, while simultaneously linking his proposals to the apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf course on Sunday.
“Only consequential presidents get shot at,” Trump stated, emphasizing his perceived importance. He pledged to slap a 200% tariff on cars imported from Mexico, rendering them “unsellable.” He also criticized United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain, accusing him of being too supportive of President Joe Biden’s push for electric vehicle adoption. Trump claims these vehicles will be manufactured in China and Mexico, despite recent union contracts aiming to ensure production in the United States.
“We are going to bring so many auto plants into our country,” Trump promised. “You are going to be as big or bigger than you were 50 years ago.”
Trump’s pitch to blue-collar voters in Michigan, a state he won in 2016, highlighted the theme of tariffs as a “beautiful word” that would bring jobs back to the United States. He claimed these tariffs would be “reciprocal,” matching those imposed by other countries on US imports.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign countered that Trump’s tariffs would effectively act as an inflation-driving national sales tax, with the burden falling on consumers who would bear the increased costs. Trump, however, asserted that a Harris victory would result in “zero car jobs, manufacturing jobs – they will all be out of here.”
The former president’s speech, while heavily focused on tariffs and the auto industry, also touched on a range of other topics, including warnings of nuclear war, praise for Elon Musk, and repeated false claims about the 2020 election. He also recounted his phone calls with both Biden and Harris after the apparent assassination attempt, describing their conversations as “nice.”
Meanwhile, the Secret Service, under scrutiny following the July shooting incident at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, received praise from Trump for their response to Sunday’s events. The Secret Service, however, faces continued investigation by Senate committees regarding their response to both incidents.
This rally marked Trump’s first public event since the apparent assassination attempt, serving as a reminder of the continued polarization and tensions within American politics.
First Piper 