With three weeks to go till 2024’s Election Day, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential marketing campaign highlighted a comment made by former President Donald Trump throughout a sit-down interview on the Financial Membership of Chicago in Illinois on Oct. 15, 2024.
Whereas speaking about bringing jobs again to the U.S. and recalling a dialogue with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump talked about to his interviewer, Bloomberg Information editor-in-chief John Micklethwait, the names of a number of automakers, particularly a Mercedes-Benz plant positioned in Charleston, South Carolina, and mentioned that their auto employees do not “construct” autos as a lot as they “assemble” them “out of a field.” He added, “We might have a baby do it.”
Trump’s actual quote learn:
I mentioned to Angela Merkel when she was there, she’s not there anymore. I’m wondering why. However when she was there, I mentioned, “Angela, what number of Chevrolets do we’ve in Berlin?” “Why Donald, we’ve none.” I mentioned, “That is proper. What number of Fords do we’ve in Frankfurt?” “I do not know. None.” I mentioned, “That is proper. You know the way many automobiles we’ve, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, the entire Volkswagen, hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of automobiles.” After which I mentioned, “Farm merchandise.” They do not need something from us.
And we’ve deficits which are loopy, and we’re not going to have them anymore. We’re going to put tariffs on them, and they will do, you understand what they’ll do? The Mercedes-Benz will begin constructing in america, and so they have a bit of bit. However you understand what they are surely? Meeting, like in South Carolina. However they construct all the pieces in Germany after which they assemble it right here. They get away with homicide as a result of they are saying, “Oh sure, we’re constructing automobiles.” They do not construct automobiles. They take them out of a field and so they assemble them. We might have a baby do it.
BMW — one other German automaker — additionally operates BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in Greer, South Carolina. The plant’s website mentioned the amenities assemble quite a lot of totally different automobiles.
Readers can learn by the whole interview transcript on Rev.com and watch the sit-down in this C-SPAN video. The remark in query begins on the 14:22 mark.
Harris Marketing campaign Response
On the identical day as Trump’s interview with the Financial Membership of Chicago, the Harris marketing campaign’s speedy response account posted an 18-second video from the perform on X, particularly that includes Trump’s comment about assembling autos.
The Harris marketing campaign’s post (archived) learn, “Trump belittles auto employees, saying they only assemble components ‘out of a field’ and says kids might do their jobs: ‘We might have our baby do it.'”
Nevertheless, this video omitted the primary a part of the sentence through which Trump signaled his comment involved the Charleston-based Mercedes-Benz plant. The clip additionally omitted the context of the dialogue with Merkel, displaying Trump’s distaste together with his view of the extent of commerce involving different nations.
Within the transient video posted by the Harris marketing campaign account, Trump mentioned solely, “United States, and so they have a bit of bit. However you understand what they are surely? Meeting, like in South Carolina. However they construct all the pieces in Germany after which they assemble it right here. They get away with homicide as a result of they are saying, ‘Oh sure, we’re constructing automobiles.’ They do not construct automobiles. They take them out of a field and so they assemble them. We might have a baby do it.”
Three days later, on Oct. 18, the @kamalahq account highlighted the truth that Harris spoke in regards to the matter whereas addressing the media previous to a marketing campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan (archived). In her feedback, she claimed that Trump’s comment about auto employees’ jobs on the Mercedes-Benz plant in South Carolina utilized to auto employees in Michigan, too. Trump talked about Michigan throughout the interview however not in the identical line of questioning because the remark in query.
She mentioned, “Once more, we’ve a scenario the place the previous president is insulting the folks of the state, this time saying that auto employees, that their essential and good and highly-skilled work may be carried out by a baby, which is simply additional proof that Donald Trump comes from a spot the place he actually doesn’t admire or perceive how most individuals in our nation work very onerous for all that they’ve, and that there’s nice dignity of their work.”
We contacted the Trump marketing campaign by e-mail to ask in regards to the Harris marketing campaign’s messaging in regard to the previous president’s remark on the Financial Membership of Chicago, and can replace this story if we obtain a response.
Responses from Mercedes-Benz, Trump Marketing campaign and BMW
On Oct. 18, the Charleston newspaper The Post and Courier reported the world’s Mercedes-Benz plant assembles Sprinter vans. LaKashia Johnson, the communications lead at Mercedes-Benz Vans Charleston, informed the newspaper that, since 2018, the plant’s employees have assembled the autos half by half and never simply out of a field. “You may not get a baby to assemble these vans,” Johnson mentioned. We contacted Johnson by e-mail to ask for extra particulars however didn’t but obtain a response.
The article additionally featured a response from a Trump marketing campaign spokesperson:
Rachel Reisner, the director of regional communications for the Trump Marketing campaign, informed The Put up and Courier that Trump’s “commonsense commerce insurance policies” would convey hundreds of thousands of further jobs to the nation, together with the hundreds that exist already in South Carolina.
“President Trump desires to develop manufacturing in America that retains the roles we’ve and provides extra jobs for American employees,” Reisner mentioned.
In the meantime, WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina, reported that Nathalie Bauters, head of company communications for BMW Manufacturing, issued an announcement with out mentioning Trump by title:
BMW Group Plant Spartanburg is happy with its 30-year legacy in South Carolina. We’ve got an eight-million-square-foot facility comprising three physique retailers, two paint retailers, and two meeting halls. We lately added a metallic stamping facility to supply physique panels. These technologically superior manufacturing operations symbolize an funding of greater than $13 billion. Our 11,000 extremely expert associates full 1,500 completed autos every day — and 400,000 annually — with components from a whole bunch of suppliers throughout america. Our BMW X fashions are a number of the most advanced autos on this planet, and they’re desired by prospects in every single place. Plant Spartanburg has been one of many largest automotive exporters by worth in america for the previous ten years, with an export worth of $10.1 billion. We export extra autos from america than we import into the nation. Plant Spartanburg generates a complete financial influence of $26.7 billion to our state whereas supporting almost 43,000 jobs and $3.1 billion in wages and salaries.
Response from State and Native Officers
Native reporting from The Put up and Courier, WSPA-TV and the Columbia, South Carolina-based newspaper The State featured further response from state and native officers.
For instance, The State printed a quote from the workplace of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster:
Brandon Charochak, a spokesperson for S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, mentioned Trump’s purpose is to see extra components made within the state and convey extra manufacturing to the nation.
“The expertise of South Carolina’s autoworkers is plain and has been key in attracting the world’s high automakers to our state,” Charochak mentioned.
On the native stage, The Put up and Courier reported that Trump’s remark “upset” a Republican metropolis councilman:
Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt, a Republican, was upset by Trump’s remarks. He lit into the previous president, saying Trump was taking part in politics with folks’s lives and invited him to assist put a BMW automobile collectively.
“I am gonna let (Trump) set up one of many home windows if he thinks an elementary child or baby might do it,” Britt mentioned. “I will assure you he cannot do it.”
We contacted a number of sources talked about on this story and can replace this text if we obtain any additional particulars.
