Political Split Screen: Biden and Trump Head To Michigan To Court Voters
Biden makes history by walking picket line; Trump isn't giving up on union votes; and the GOP presidential candidates try to make their case
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Good morning,
Debate Day— so we meet again!
Tonight is the second GOP Presidential Debate. It will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California at 9pm ET, and hosted by Fox Business Network and Univision.
On stage tonight— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
And like the first debate, former President Trump, the heavy front-runner for the GOP nomination, is skipping the event.
Check out the @Mosheh Instagram feed for debate updates. Plus Jill will have a recap on the Mo News podcast tomorrow morning.
Jill & Leila
🗞 SPLIT SCREEN: BIDEN & TRUMP HEAD TO MICHIGAN
There’s still a year to go until the presidential election— Republicans haven’t even officially picked their candidate— and yet President Biden and former President Trump are both courting working-class voters in the important swing state of Michigan.
FIRST UP, PRESIDENT BIDEN
President Biden, a long-time advocate of unions, headed to Michigan on Tuesday to stand on the picket lines with strikers, an unusual and notable move by a sitting president. He fist pumped workers and told them to stick with the strike.
He said the UAW gave up "an incredible amount" when the auto industry was struggling… "Now that the industry is roaring back they should participate in the benefits.”
Presidential historians say they can’t recall any other president having walked an actual picket line.
FDR sent his labor secretary to work with strikers. And in 1902, Teddy Roosevelt called union and business leaders to the White House to try to end a coal miner strike.
The White House said Biden would be the first.
STRIKES SO NICE, PRESIDENTS VISIT TWICE
Just a day after President Biden’s visit, former President Trump will be holding a rally at an auto supplier in Clinton Township, Michigan.
While the UAW president has yet to give his support to either candidate, he’s said this about Donald Trump:
“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers. We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding of what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class.” - UAW President Shawn Fain
Notably, Trump’s rally is being held at a non-union supplier for heavy truck, agriculture, and automotive markets. Union leaders point out that Trump’s administration was far from union-friendly. But the former president could see an opening when it comes to electric vehicles.
The UAW has criticized the Biden administration for giving federal money to automakers who are moving jobs to Southern states where unions aren’t as strong.
Another concern: workers say it takes fewer employees to build electric vehicles than gas-powered ones.
Trump has been blaming the Biden administration’s EV incentives for the strike.
He’s also accused Biden of taking bribes from China and looking to move manufacturing there. He wrote on TruthSocial: “Crooked Joe sold them down the river with his ridiculous all Electric Car Hoax.”
“I WILL KEEP YOUR JOBS AND MAKE YOU RICH!!!”
SHOW ME THE… ENDORSEMENT
The UAW and other unions historically support Democrats. But at this point, UAW head Shawn Fain has still kept the union’s endorsement decision quiet, the last of the major unions to do so. In the past, Fain has given his support to Bernie Sanders.
✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: This all comes as Trump’s support among union members has increased in recent months, and Biden’s support has fallen. According to Michigan polling company EPIC·MRA, Trump led Biden 46% to 43% among union members in an August survey; in June, Biden led Trump 51 % to 42%.
The Biden/Trump double-header also shows the importance of Michigan voters in the presidential election. They helped both Biden and Trump win the White House during the past two presidential elections in 2020 and 2016, respectively.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers while building real estate empire (AP)
📌 A shutdown is looming. What comes next? (NYT)
📌 Hunter Biden sues Rudy Giuliani over alleged illegal use of computer data (BOSTON GLOBE)
📌 New Orleans' drinking water threatened as saltwater intrusion looms (CBS)
📌 Supreme Court rejects Alabama’s bid to use congressional map with just one majority-Black district (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Nagorno-Karabakh: Fuel depot blast kills 20 as refugee count rises (BBC)
📌 Turkey will back Sweden's NATO bid if U.S. keeps promise on F-16 sale - Erdogan (REUTERS)
📌 Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds (ABC)
📌 Venezuela regains control of prison where inmates built swimming pool, restaurants (CNN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 The world’s biggest crypto firm is melting down (WSJ)
📌 Amazon.com faces an array of US consumer, state antitrust lawsuits (REUTERS)
📌 High-interest rates could be the new reality for Americans (FOX BIZ)
📌 JPMorgan Chase to settle Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking suit by U.S. Virgin Islands for $75 million (CNBC)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Olympic doping case involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva starts in Switzerland (BOSTON GLOBE)
📌 UK police open investigation after allegations of sexual offenses against Russell Brand (CNN)
📌 Spain charges singer Shakira with tax evasion for second time, demands more than $7M (ABC NEWS)
📌 Column: After a ‘hot labor summer,’ Black Hollywood is confronting the limits of solidarity (LA TIMES)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: SEPTEMBER 27
1920: In what became known as the Black Sox Scandal, eight members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were indicted by a grand jury on charges that they had thrown the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in return for a bribe.
1954: The landmark late-evening talk show and variety program The Tonight Show premiered (as Tonight!), with Steve Allen as host.
1989: Billy Joel released his song 'We Didn't Start The Fire'
1993: TIME Magazine Cover: “Attack of the Video Games: Bigger than movies, better than reality. Soon to zap a kid near you.”