Former President Donald Trump’s latest attack ad targeting Vice President Kamala Harris has been exposed for its inaccuracies, leaving fact-checkers and experts baffled. The ad, aimed at Michigan autoworkers, accuses Harris of pushing policies that would supposedly kill jobs in the state’s auto industry. However, an in-depth fact-check from The Washington Post reveals the ad is filled with misleading claims and falsehoods.
Trump’s campaign message, aired on October 17, claims that Harris is pushing for mandates to end all gas-powered cars, suggesting her policies are leading to “massive layoffs” in Michigan’s auto industry. But experts, including Bruce M. Belzowski, managing director of Michigan’s Automotive Futures research group, were quick to refute these allegations. Belzowski told The Washington Post, “There are so many misstatements in this ad, it’s hard to know where to start.”
Fact-checker Glenn Kessler also dissected the ad, noting that Trump’s rhetoric mirrors the bombastic tone of his rallies. According to Kessler, “like much of Trump’s rhetoric, the ad is false.” The key claim that Michigan autoworkers are suffering massive layoffs under Harris’ policies is disproven by Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which shows auto manufacturing jobs are at their highest levels since 2007. In fact, U.S. motor vehicle manufacturing employment reached a 34-year high this year.
Additionally, Trump’s claim that Harris wants to eliminate gas-powered cars stems from her 2020 presidential campaign, but he conveniently ignores that she has since adjusted her position. Kessler points out that this outdated claim is misleading and was likely left unsourced to obscure its irrelevance.
The United Auto Workers (UAW), who endorsed Harris, have voiced their rejection of Trump’s fearmongering. They argue that transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) does not threaten union jobs, as Trump claims. Instead, incentives for electric vehicle production and purchases are driving significant growth in the U.S. auto industry. Belzowski emphasized that the U.S. is undergoing a “moonshot” industrial project, comparing it to the construction of the interstate highway system.
Finally, the ad attempts to highlight job losses by featuring a Michigan autoworker. However, Kessler reveals that the worker is employed by Rivian, a California-based electric truck manufacturer with only 100 employees in Michigan, far removed from the mass layoffs Trump suggests.
