Pete Buttigieg: “While the president was selling out American workers and selling out American farmers, he was also selling out American values”

MICHIGAN – Today, Mayor Pete Buttigeg joined DNC Chair Tom Perez and Michigan Democrats Chair Lavora Barnes for a virtual press conference focused on Trump’s failed trade policy with China and his broken promises to Michigan voters on the economy.

The event is part of the DNC’s new push this morning — including a new television advertisement — highlighting Donald Trump’s broken promises on trade, and how his failure to stand up to China has cost jobs and hurt working families.

Trump ran for president promising that he’d bring back jobs to Michigan, and yet with over 1 million Michiganders unemployed with 21% of the workforce out of a job, and 1 in 7 Michigan small businesses saying they don’t expect to survive the current economic downturn, Trump’s failed coronavirus response has tanked Michigan’s economy. To make matters worse, Trump’s erratic trade policy and failure to stand up to China left the Michigan economy especially vulnerable to the current crisis as the country faces the worst economic peril since the Great Depression.

DNC Chair Tom Perez: “This trade war has resulted in job losses and higher costs for manufacturers, for farmers. He lost the trade war that he has started. Donald Trump, despite his promise that Michigan wouldn’t lose a single plant —  go ask auto workers in Warren, Dearborn, and Hamtramck, they’ve lost their jobs as factories were shuttered. Here’s the bottom line: Donald Trump lost the trade war and Michigan workers are paying the price.”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “I don’t think a lot of us are surprised Donald Trump broke his promises to the American people, but I’m a little bit surprised at how brazenly he has broken his promises to the very American workers and American farmers that he claimed to speak to and for when he ran for president and since he took office…unquestionably the American people, American manufacturing, American farming is worse off than we were four years ago, and so much of it is a direct result of President Trump entering into a trade war with no strategy and no plan and losing that trade war to China. While the president was selling out American workers and selling out American farmers, he was also selling out American values. November, as far as I’m concerned, can’t come soon enough.”

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes: “Yes, COVID-19 and Donald Trump’s failed response has devastated our workforce, but we were already struggling. Struggling because of a president who has time and again handed out tax cuts to his wealthy friends while leaving Michigan working families behind. Struggling because of a president who promised to protect their health care, but instead fought to strip it away. Struggling because Trump has broken his promises on China. This president promised to get tough on China on behalf of the Michigan worker, but instead struck bad deal after bad deal with their government while waging a reckless and ineffectual trade war that cost us dearly.”