Vance warns of China’s influence during Michigan rally

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance started his Rust Belt sweep this week by attacking Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on the economy and pushing a message of protecting American jobs in the battleground state of Michigan — a key swing state that polls show Harris is leading in.

Speaking at a rally in Big Rapids, Michigan, former President Donald Trump’s running mate tried to tie Harris to the Biden administration’s policies — saying at one point that “Kamala Harris has been calling the shots” — while also warning of China’s emergence as an economic superpower that’s taking jobs away from the U.S.

He stressed the electoral importance of Michigan, telling the crowd that the state will vote for Republicans. After the rally, he told reporters Michigan is “one of the most important states” in the election that has “borne the brunt of a lot of stupid policies.”

“When I tell people that Donald Trump wants to rebuild American manufacturing, unleash American energy and bring those factories back, I think that it resonates in Michigan,” Vance said to reporters, when asked about the vice president’s lead in Michigan. “Maybe more than any other state because Michigan actually saw what happened when those factories closed down.”

He added, “We just want to rebuild a good middle class so that people can live the American Dream. Michiganders get that more than most folks.”

Vance’s rally Tuesday was the first of a series of events in Rust Belt swing states that he and Trump are visiting this week as they seek to shore up support. Both Republicans will also visit Wisconsin and Pennsylvania while Harris this week is campaigning in Georgia — a state where Trump is leading slightly. On Labor Day, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will also separately visit Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

FiveThirtyEight polls show Harris with a small lead against Trump in Michigan , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – all states Biden won in 2020. Trump trails Harris in Wisconsin and Michigan by about three points, while Harris leads by less than two points in Pennsylvania, according to the polling averages.

During Tuesday’s rally, Vance claimed Harris was responsible for Chinese factories being built in Michigan and China taking jobs from Michigan car companies. Vance connected her tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act as vice president to the creation of the Chinese-owned Gotion plant in Michigan — something he later called “a child of the tie-breaking vote” to reporters.

“Kamala Harris not only wants to allow the Chinese Communist Party to build factories on American soil, she wants to pay them to do it with our tax money,” Vance said at the rally.

A Washington Post fact check found that Vance's claim that the Inflation Reduction Act is sending jobs back to China is false.

Vance also repeated that gas and grocery prices went up “on her watch,” causing Americans to work multiple jobs. He talked about unattainable housing prices, the average $50,000 cost of a car, more than $1 trillion in credit card debt from Americans — and tied it all back to the vice president.

Vance contrasted the Chinese factories in Michigan with Trump’s promise to implement tariffs on China, promising the policy would lower taxes for Americans.

“Our corrupt leadership said if you put tariffs on China, prices will go up,” Vance said. “Instead Donald Trump did exactly that — manufacturing came back and prices went down for American citizens, they went up for the Chinese but they went down for our people.”