JD Vance blasts Kamala Harris at campaign stop in suburban Detroit

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan - At a stop in suburban Detroit, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance blasted Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday for what he said was failed leadership.

"If you've got all these great ideas, I've got a message: Why don't you try it right now?" the Ohio GOP senator and Donald Trump running mate told a crowd of about 200 people at Visioneering, an aerospace manufacturing company in Michigan's Oakland County. "Because you're the sitting vice president and you haven't done a damn thing for America."

The crowd of Republican partisans in the critical 2024 battleground state cheered Vance, who is running to be vice president with former President Donald Trump.

Vance flew to metro Detroit just hours after completing his one and only debate with Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. He passed on criticizing Walz, saying he felt sorry for him having to defend Harris' economic record.

Watch replay: Vice presidential debate between Vance, Walz

Vance won general praise for most of his debate performance , though he took widespread criticism for failing to answer a question about whether Trump won the 2020 election. Asked about his non-answer, Vance dodged again.

"Here's the simple reason, the media wants to talk about the election four years ago, I'm focused on the election 33 days from now," he said.

He went on to blast Democratic opposition to the SAVE Act, a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Democrats have said it's already illegal for noncitizens to vote and the legislation would make it hard to register voters.

Standing in front of a crowd with a giant American flag as a backdrop, Vance took a sharper tone onstage than he did during the televised debate. He hammered away at Harris, mentioning her name more than four dozen times in a speech that lasted almost an hour.

He promised to place the interests of American workers at the heart of Trump's second term. Vance stood by his criticism of electric vehicle mandates, saying they tilt the playing field in China's favor.

"There's an entire supply chain in the auto industry, and China dominates when it comes to EVs, and America dominates when it comes to gas powered cars," Vance said.

Harris campaign surrogate Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said in a statement that Trump is the one who failed autoworkers.

“He said he’d create more opportunities for workers and ignite a manufacturing boom across the Midwest, but when he got to the White House, he caused a manufacturing recession instead,” Dingell said. "Vice President Harris is looking to the future while Donald Trump and JD Vance want to drag our country backwards."

A Free Press analysis shows that the overall picture on auto jobs is complicated.

Rick Kuchta, 61, of Chesterfield, is an HVAC contractor who has attended other rallies. He wanted to see Vance, saying he'd watched the debate the night before and thought Vance won it.

"I like him. I think he's very down to earth, very relatable," Kuchta said. "I just like his demeanor and his policy. He's right behind Trump."

Kuchta said he's voting for Trump and hopes he wins, but he expects controversy either way.

"I think no matter what happens, it will be a mess," he said. "Nobody wants to lose and everybody thinks they're gonna win. Somebody's gonna lose."

Kimberly Knue, 54, of Milford, is an employee benefits manager who attended the event to see Vance.

"I think he's a national treasure," she said. "I think he's smart, he's articulate, he's innovative. He brings a lot of ideas to the table. He's a good leader. I love his background. I love his family."

She said she expects Trump to win, but said it would be "very close."

Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X @jwisely .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: JD Vance blasts Kamala Harris at campaign stop in suburban Detroit