Kamala Harris visited Flint, Michigan, to speak with labor union members as part of her effort to regain support from a key voter base that’s been slipping away. Recently, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) made headlines by announcing that it would not endorse a candidate for the 2024 presidential election. The last time they refrained from making an endorsement was in 2016 when they also withheld their support from Hillary Clinton. This decision sends a clear message to Harris, as she continues to lose union support, with many members now backing former President Donald Trump.
The IAFF had endorsed Joe Biden in 2019, but this year, the relationship with Harris doesn’t seem to be as strong. Union members appear to feel that Trump better understands their concerns than Harris does.
On Friday, during her Flint visit, Harris made an effort to win them back, emphasizing her own background by telling the crowd, “I come from the middle class.”
Harris stated that she would invest in areas like the auto industry, despite the fact that her stance on EVs would be a “disaster” for the sector.
She misrepresented the Trump tax cuts, which benefited most Americans, and now wants to repeal them. This would result in higher taxes for many, in addition to the financial burden she has already imposed through inflation.
Harris attempted to mock Trump in an awkward moment, talking about “concepts of a plan,” even though she herself has been unclear about her own “plans.” It was a truly cringeworthy display:
But if he has no ideas, why does she seem to keep stealing them?
One of the most unintentionally funny—and telling—moments during her speech in Flint came when the teleprompter cut out. Harris began mentioning Magic Johnson’s number being 32 and then awkwardly claimed there were 32 days until the election. You can literally see the exact moment it happened on her face, followed by the frantic use of “filler” words as she stalled, waiting for the teleprompter to come back online:
She was visibly unsure of what to do next. How can someone like that be trusted in such a critical role? How would she handle interactions with foreign leaders? She can’t even manage a friendly press event properly: