In their pursuit of securing a winning alliance, Harris and Trump focus on the narrowly contested state of Michigan.
The two converged on vote-rich Oakland County, situated northwest of Detroit – a location where an advanced education and diverse population, along with the suburban uprising against Trump, have significantly altered the political landscape in favor of Democrats in recent years.
During a Waterford Township gathering, Harris referred to Trump as "full of big promises, but always fails to deliver" and a "major loser when it comes to manufacturing jobs in U.S. history."
She emphasized her dedication to labor unions and pledged to encourage federal entities and private companies to employ more individuals with non-college degrees.
Adopting a blue-collar approach, Harris also introduced this topic in Grand Rapids, a Western Michigan city aboard Kent County, which shifted from Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, and Lansing, where she criticized Trump's performance in manufacturing and dismissed him as having no genuine affection for labor.
Before wrapping up his Detroit event, Trump also scheduled a visit to Oakland County's Auburn Hills for a roundtable discussion. He proposed raising substantial tariffs on foreign-made automobiles as a means of bolstering domestic auto manufacturing.
"I think the word 'tariff' is even more beautiful than love," Trump declared.
Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin constitute the "blue wall," representing three Great Lakes battlefields that tipped the 2016 election in favor of Trump before reversing course to give Biden the White House four years later.
Although Michigan handed Biden victory by approximately 154,000 votes, Trump scored a historic success in 2016 by triumphing over Hillary Clinton by fewer than 11,000 votes, concluding the Democratic dominance in Michigan since 1992.
Already, more than 944,000 polls have been cast in Michigan – representing 13% of the state's active registered voters, as reported by the secretary of state's office.
Both campaigns are currently focusing on specific voting blocs in Michigan, including union workers, Black voters, suburban moderates, and Arab Americans who have been dissatisfied with Biden's handling of Israel's conflict in Gaza.
The contention for Arab American voters
Trump visited a campaign office in Hamtramck, home to a substantial Muslim and Arab American community, on Friday. He was accompanied by the city's mayor, Amer Ghalib, who recently endorsed Trump.
During a discussion, the mayor alleged that Democrats were attempting to instill fear in the Arab American community by propagating rumors of impending deportations. Addressing this, Trump affirmed that these claims were "fake news."
Earlier in the day, Trump announced his intentions to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon, noting that Netanyahu is doing a fine job. He criticized Biden for presumably inhibiting Netanyahu and suggested that he would provide better support to Israel.
Harris, in response, acknowledged the tough year that the Arab American community had experienced. She called upon "Arab American leaders" like Wayne County deputy executive Assad Turfe and emphasized the difficulties that Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon had inflicted on the sizable Arab American and Muslim communities, who have deep roots in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Harris once again expressed her belief that the demise of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar held potential for renewing negotiated peace between Israel and Hamas, along with securing the return of hostages.
"Sinwar's death offers an opportunity that must be seized. Everybody should avail themselves of it to finally put an end to the conflict in Gaza, to retrieve the hostages, and overturn the suffering once and for all," she declared. "And I persist in the conviction that diplomacy is the solution for achieving lasting stability across the Israel-Lebanon border."
Harris targets Trump's blue-collar allure
In Lansing, Harris addressed union members and played clips exhibiting Trump's disdain for the labor of automobile workers, his attacks upon UAW president Shawn Fain, and his statement that he disliked paying overtime while managing his businesses prior to his political career.
Trump has attempted to win over auto workers in Michigan by threatening substantial tariffs on imported automobiles and proposing making automobile loan interest tax-deductible.
The Harris campaign's decision to highlight Trump's own verbal facilitate labor policies amid attempts to solve the gap between union leaders, who largely align with Democrats, and their members, who often show more affinity with Republican cultural values.
"Listen to his words," Harris advised the audience following the display of the 35-second clip. "He's decrying that auto workers are essentially participating in children's games, and children can do it."
"He's part of an exclusive club," Harris continued, "and I want to assure you that union workers are not among his club associates. Let me make that clear. No matter what he does at his rallies."
"To compare it to children's play? When we here are aware of the complex nature of the work you do? You do it with utmost care, labor intensively, possess remarkable skills, and you are the world's premier auto workers. I stand by that," she concluded.
Trump returns to city he had disrespected
Trump's visit to Detroit was his first since disparaging the city at the Detroit Economic Club last week. There, Trump likened Detroit to a "developing nation" and claimed that if Harris wins on November 5, the whole country will come to resemble Detroit.
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Fight Like Hell PAC released a radio ad on Friday discussing Trump's derogatory remarks concerning Detroit.
"Last week, Donald Trump rolled into Detroit, spouting negativity about our town. He labeled Detroit as a flop and a mess. We got his number, though. Detroiters have each other's backs and our city's, something the Donald will never grasp," Whitmer fires back in the 30-second ad.
During his Detroit visit on Friday, Trump told the gathering that Election Day would be "celebration day" for America.
Trump expressed his belief that Detroit "holds tremendous potential," but he blamed the Democrats for causing chaos and sabotaging its anticipated revival.
"To the folks of Michigan, I'm declaring that by the end of my term, the entire global community will be chatting about the Michigan miracle and Detroit's breathtaking resurrection," he declared.
CNN's Ali Main and Ethan Cohen lent a hand in putting this report together.
In the context of the given text, here are two sentences that contain the word 'politics':
During her visit to Grand Rapids, Harris criticized Trump's performance in manufacturing and dismissed him as having no genuine affection for labor, stating that his politics were not in line with the interests of union workers.
During his Detroit visit, Trump also discussed his plans for the auto industry, proposing substantial tariffs on foreign-made automobiles as a means of bolstering domestic auto manufacturing, arguing that his policies would be better for the state's politics and economy.
