Biden: Trump's 'chaotic trade threats, erratic tweets, and bluster' have hurt U.S. workers


Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was in Ohio on Monday, where he told autoworkers in Toledo that President Trump's "chaotic trade threats, erratic tweets, and bluster" have "stiffed American workers and customers. He's let you down."
During this drive-in campaign rally, Biden said if elected, he will enact a "trade strategy" that "gets results," and will "stand up to China's trade abuses. I will invest in you." He discussed what it was like when, as vice president, he worked with former President Barack Obama to rescue the auto industry in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. "Barack and I bet on you," Biden said, "and it paid off."
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, northeastern Ohio's unemployment rate was higher than the national rate, due to the loss of manufacturing jobs, NBC News reports. Biden's "Build Back Better" plan calls for working with allies to "modernize international trade rules" and investing billions in U.S. manufacturing – Biden said he wants to make a $400 billion procurement investment in American products, a $300 billion investment in research and development and breakthrough technologies, and bring back critical supply chains to the United States.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The polls show a tight race in Ohio, a state Trump won by eight points in 2016. The latest Great Lake Poll conducted by Baldwin Wallace University shows Trump leading Biden 47 to 45.4 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. "What this tells me is that Ohio is a competitive state, but it's a much longer climb for Biden to win when Trump won the state by eight points four years ago," Tom Sutton, political science chair at Baldwin Wallace University, told Cleveland.com.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump’s budget bill will increase the deficit. Does it matter?
Today's Big Question Analysts worry a 'tipping point' is coming
-
Film reviews: The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Feature A despised mogul seeks a fresh triumph, orphaned siblings land with a nightmare foster mother, and a Jane fan finds herself in a love triangle
-
Music reviews: Tune-Yards and PinkPantheress
Feature "Better Dreaming" and "Fancy That"
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as president
speed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency