Former President Donald Trump drew sharp criticism from labor advocates and Democratic officials after suggesting automotive assembly work is so simple that “we could have our child doing it,” prompting a former President Barack Obama‘s economic adviser to challenge him to demonstrate car assembly at his next rally.
What Happened: Speaking at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the complexity of U.S. auto manufacturing while being interviewed by Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait. He characterized domestic auto production, particularly regarding foreign manufacturers, as merely assembly work.
“Mercedes-Benz will start building in the United States, and they have a little bit. But do you know what they really are? Assembly, like in South Carolina. But they build everything in Germany and then they assemble it here,” Trump said before adding that a child could perform the work.
Betsey Stevenson, who served as an economic adviser in the Obama administration, responded to Trump’s comments with a direct challenge on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“If it is so easy to ‘assemble’ cars in America if any ‘child’ could do it, then I’d love to see Trump assemble a car at his next rally. That would be way more impressive than sway-dancing,” Stevenson wrote.
Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign quickly seized on Trump’s remarks, sharing video footage of his comments on social media and accusing him of belittling auto workers. The controversy emerges at a sensitive time for the automotive industry, which has recently experienced significant labor negotiations and strikes.
Trump’s characterization of auto manufacturing appeared to oversimplify the complex process of vehicle assembly, suggesting workers merely “take them out of a box” to assemble.
Political commentator Ed Krassenstein highlighted the potential electoral implications of Trump’s remarks, questioning whether auto workers would support Trump after his comments appeared to minimize their skilled labor.
Why It Matters: The backdrop to this controversy is a series of events that have heightened tensions in the auto industry. In July, Trump announced his intention to end the electric vehicle mandate on his first day in office, arguing it would save the auto industry from “obliteration” and reduce costs for U.S. consumers. This statement was made shortly after Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk endorsed him.
In August, the United Auto Workers (UAW) filed federal labor charges against both Trump and Musk for their public comments, which were perceived as union-busting.
Most recently, Vice President Harris pledged her support to the UAW, promising to bring back auto worker jobs to the U.S. and criticizing Trump’s trade policies for outsourcing jobs.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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