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Michigan autoworkers on Wednesday expressed their support of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, advocating that the change would improve American jobs.
A United Auto Workers leader named Brian spoke during Trump’s “Liberation Day” event in the White House Rose Garden, cheered on by his fellow auto workers during his praise of the president’s economic policies.
“I grew up just north of Detroit, Michigan, in Macomb County — known as the home of the Reagan Democrats. My first vote for president was for Ronald Reagan,” Brian said. “I thought that was going to be the best president I ever saw in my lifetime until Donald J. Trump came along.”
“I have watched my entire life, I have watched plant after plant after plant in Detroit and in the metro Detroit area close,” the worker said. “There are now plants sitting idle, there are now plants that are underutilized. And Donald Trump’s policies are going to bring products back into those underutilized plants, there’s going to be new investment, there’s going to be new plants built.”
Brian added that workers in his state and beyond will soon benefit from Trump’s tariffs.
“And the UAW members — and I brought 20 of them with me, they’re sitting right over here — we support Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs 100%. So, Mr. President, we can’t thank you enough. In six months to a year, we’re going to see the benefits. I can’t wait to see what’s happening three-four years down the road. Thank you, Mr. President,” Brian said.
Trump thanked Brian and his fellow autoworkers, tossing a Make America Great Again hat to the group.
“Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” Trump said during his remarks. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”
The president referred to the tariffs as friendly reciprocal tariffs, showing how America’s charges will be lower than many tariffs charged against the U.S. For example, China charges the U.S. 67 percent tariffs but will face 34 percent tariffs on imported goods. The European Union charges 39 percent, but it will be charged 20 percent.
“In other words, they charge us, we charge them. We charge them less. So how can anybody be upset?” Trump said.
