suburban moms. their message is targeted at audiences but there's also cross-pollination that's happening throughout. >> i've always felt the border is a quintessential example of cognitive dissonance. there are a lot of people who will see that and say oh, my gosh, that's sad, and they have a problem with policy. jeff sessions and steven miller specifically did this because they wanted to harm and attack people. what i find to be the most compelling is this connection between, i may have, and not every person. we're talking about a whole part of war. mexico was not the same as colombia which is not the same as el salvador. my parents came here, my uncle brought us here to get away from the kind of nonsense that donald trump is going to do. i was moved by that. i have friends, i have family members who are refugees. i have students who fled countries that had that kind of

violence. i thought that was an incredibly compelling message. it is one that anybody who has any symbols of an experience with third world dictatorships outside this country. you may fear socialism. kamala harris is not a socialist. >> that's the point about making it clear, what happened in trump's first term will only be exponentially worse if he is elected again to the white house and in control in the oval office. that connection to the human stories, the storytelling that is so powerful and illustrative of this, to jason's point, we can say i remember when that was happening in 2017, 2018. there was a limit in our polling and research where we saw that people would say, well, i blame the parents. i blame the parents for bringing their kids here. it goes back to the long-term

implications of what trump plans to do, 2025, already laid out. >> oh, we have vice president harris. she'll be taking the stage at a campaign event at a uaw union hall in lansing, michigan. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> good afternoon, everyone. it's good to be in the house of labor. good afternoon. good afternoon. i want to thank you for your leadership. i just said, what a leader he is. you know, first of all, it's so good to be in the house of

labor. it's so good to be with people who understand the dignity of work and fight for it every day. and it's not an easy fight but it's a good fight. i thank you for all that you do, ben, and everybody. so it's wonderful to be back in michigan and to be with so many incredible leaders, including, of course, representative slotkin, where is she? there you are. who we must elect to the united states senate. and we will. count on it. and let's send him to the united states house of representatives. there you are. and a special thanks to the brothers and sisters of the united autoworkers. thank you for all that you are, all that you do. and the warm welcome. and of course, for generations in lansing and across our country, union members have helped lead the fight for fair

pay, better benefits, and safe working conditions. and every person in our nation has benefitted from your work. everywhere i go, i tell people. you may not be a union member but you better thank unions for the five-day workweek, for sick leave, for paid family leave and vacation time. because we are all clear. collective bargaining benefits our entire nation. our entire nation. so here's the deal. when union wages go up, everybody's wages go up. when union work places are safer, everyone's workplace is safer. so thank the union. thank the union. and the bottom line is when unions are strong, america is strong. unions have always fought to

make our nation more equal, more fair, and more free. and in this election, everything we have fought for for years in this movement, in this movement, for unions and for labor, is on the line. and i'm about to talk about it in real terms. we always have real talk with each other. and your members can afford nothing less. which is why i appreciate your leadership. this election is about two very different visions for our nation. one that is trying to take us backward, him. and ours that is about moving forward and about the future. we fight. we fight for a future where we protect the freedom to organize. where we understand the importance of collective bargaining. i sometimes say to young people, by the way, have you noticed how when you look at the polling,

younger voters coming into the work force, they get it and they understand the power and the no bety of unions. everybody should want them. when there's a negotiation, the outcome would be fair, right? who would argue with that. everybody should want that. that there will be a fair outcome in negotiation. all right. so if we start from there, all reasonable people, then let's think about it. if you're talking about the worker, the one worker trying to negotiate against the corporation, is that outcome going to be fair? no. the disparity in power is too great. so collective bargaining, it's a simple, simple and important point. you let the workers organize so that the collective together, who have the same concerns, the same issues can be banded

together to have equal power in a negotiation. because the whole point is the outcome of the negotiation should be fair. that's what collective bargaining is about. that's what unions are about. it's about basic fairness. and it's about the dignity of work, understanding all workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. that's what we're talking about when we talk about this movement. and the strength of the movement and the importance of keeping it going. we talk about it. our knowledge about the importance of building a future where we tap into the ambition of the american people. where we build what i call an opportunity economy, right? so every american has an opportunity to own a home, to

buy a car, to build wealth, to start a business. and i will always, it is my pledge to you, put the middle class and working people first. i come from the middle class and i will never forget where i come from. i will never forget where i come from. i know where i come from. hard work is good work. hard work is good work and must receive the value to which it is due, which means understanding the value of the worker. and we know we can not have a strong middle class without american manufacturing. over the last three and a half years, we brought manufacturing back to america, creating 730,000 manufacturing jobs. with your help. with your help. we announced the opening of more than 20 new auto plants in the

united states, and we did it by investing in american industry and american workers. and i will make sure america, not china, wins the competition for the 21st century. so under my plan, it's about investing in the industries that built america, like steel, iron, the great american auto industry. and we will ensure that the next generation of breakthroughs from advanced batteries to electric vehicles are not just invented but built right here in america by american union workers. because it is they and you who have proven how to get the job done. and as part of that vision, we will invest in manufacturing

communities like lansing. we will retool existing factories, hire locally and work with unions to create good-paying jobs, including, by the way, jobs that do not require a college degree. and i'm going to tell you why. i'm going to tell you why. i'm really clear that a college degree is not the only measure of the skill and experience of the qualified worker, and we need to understand -- we need to understand that. in fact, it is my pledge that as president, i'm going to do a critical assessment of federal jobs to look at those that don't require a college degree so we can start talking about good jobs based on the skill and experience of the worker, and

not random measures of who can do what. and i plan on then challenging the private sector to do the same. and we will importantly protect the pensions of union workers and retirees. again, it's about the dignity of work which includes the dignity of retirement. after a lifetime of working hard, let's talk about the dignity of retirement. the dignity of aging. and that's why as attorney general, i sued the big banks to return hundreds of millions of dollars to workers and their families after their pensions were mismanaged. this is not new to me. i've done that work. as a united states senator, i pushed for legislation to rescue workers' pensions without cutting the benefits that

workers had earned. and as vice president, i worked alongside then secretary of labor marty walsh, and we for a year worked on what we needed to do with the federal work force, which was in our direct power, to increase the ability for collective bargaining and to ensure that they have all the resources they need to grow in terms of organizing. as vice president, i also helped to do the long overdue work to protect the pensions of more than 1 million union members, and yesterday, i announced the protection of the full earned pension benefits of more than 22,500 union workers and retirees in michigan under the detroit carpenters pension fund. again, just to put a fine point on it, when it comes to your

pension or social security or medicare, these are retirement benefits you have earned. this is not about a giveaway. you've earned it. and it must be protected. and it must be respected after decades of hard work that you receive it. and honoring these benefits must be an ironclad commitment. now -- now, let's talk about, you know, the guy on the other side. let's talk about donald trump for a minute, shall we? and because, he has a very different view. in all seriousness, he has a very different view. workers, hard work, the dig it of work. we know it. he tries to do his rhetorical thing at rallies, like he

understands what it means to earn a living. no, you understand what i'm saying. he pretends that he understands workers, and the hard work and the battle workers face every day to get their due wages and benefits. we're not falling for the oaky doke. we know what he has said and we know what he has done. he who called social security a ponzi scheme. he called it a ponzi scheme. he recommended we raise the retirement age to 70. can you imagine? if you were required to work to 70? he who intends to cut social security and medicare? we know how many people, their only source of income is their

social security check. talk about the value about dignity and retirement. dignity and aging. and remember, he was the only one, he said, he was going to be the only one who could bring back america's manufacturing jobs. you know how he talks. i'm the only one, right? and then because we're too busy watching what he's doing to hear what he's saying, we know america lost nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs when he was president. okay? including tens of thousands of jobs right here in michigan. and those losses, we know, and we'll note, started before the pandemic, okay? making donald trump one of the biggest losers of manufacturing jobs in american history.

and his track record for the auto industry was a disaster. he promised workers and warned that the auto industry, i'm going to quote, not lose one plant under his presidency. then american automakers announced the closure of six auto plants when he was president. including general motors in warren, and solantis in detroit. thousands of michigan auto workers lost their jobs. if he wins again, we can expect there would be more of the same. because we know what he has done. and we know we'll focus on the work, not the words, when it come to donald trump. and check this out. donald trump's current running mate, you know the job was open, right? like when people go for an

interview, especially young people. they go for an interview. they're in the interview and they say, why is the job open? so donald trump's running mate recently suggested, if they win, they would threaten the grand river assembly plant right here in lansing. the same plant that, with your help, our administration protected earlier this year, saving 650 union jobs, right? and i do believe some of the union workers from grand river are here with us today. so you know what i'm -- [ applause ] you know what i'm talking about. you know what i'm talking about. and trump's running mate called your jobs table scraps. right? so let me just say, needless to say, i will always have your

back and we'll keep fighting to make sure that you keep your jobs right here in lansing and keep these most noble and important jobs for america's strength. that's the work you all do. you know, donald trump, he also promised that he was going to stop offshoring. remember that? then he cut taxes for corporations that shipped 200,000 jobs overseas during his presidency. cut the taxes for those corporations. okay? and awarded nearly half a trillion dollars in federal contracts to companies that were offshoring jobs. okay? follow the money. he gave your tax dollars to companies that were sending your jobs overseas. and we've got to get the word out to all of the brothers and sisters in labor and remind them of what this dude does.

right? what this dude actually does. make no mistake. donald trump is no friend to labor. he is no friend to labor. and we've got to listen to what he says that famous saying, listen when people tell you who they are. in fact, can we roll the clip? >> i used to hate to pay overtime. i shouldn't tell you this. i would go out and get other people and let them work regular time. >> they build everything in germany and then they assemble it here. they get away with murder. they don't build cars. they take them out of a box and assemble them. we could have our child do it. they say, that's okay. you're all gone.

the united auto workers ought to be ashamed for allowing this to happen. and the leader of the united autoworkers should be fired immediately. >> right? right. so of course, that last bit, he was talking about the person representing nearly a million active and retired autoworkers. so that's about a million autoworkers, active and retired. donald trump, listen to his words. he's saying that autoworkers are essentially engaged in child's play. that children could do it. listen to what he says. i'm telling you. you know, says. i'm telling you, he -- you know, he's got his club, and i'm going to tell you union workers are not part of his club.

let's be clear about that. no matter what he does at his rallies, let's be clear about that. right? he thinks that the value of your work is essentially meaningless. that's what he is saying, to compare it to child's work? when we here know the work you do is complex. you do it with great care. you work hard. you are highly skilled. you are highly trained, and the best autoworkers in the world is who you are. the best in the world! the best in the world. and the fact is donald trump's comments are the talk of someone who has had everything handed to him. i know it's right. it is, i know. it is.

this man, you know, who never had to work a job that came with calloused hands or an hourly wage, right? someone who got handed $400 million on a silver platter and did what with it? filed bankruptcy six times. come on. come on. he will never understand the life and the work of a united autoworker. he will never understand that. people who work hard for everything they have, who take great pride in a job well done, who understand what it represents to their family and the future of their family. again, i go back to the dignity of hard work. so let us be clear. donald trump's insults to american workers is not exclusive to that video, okay?

that was just a moment. kind of think of it as the commercial break in my speech. but his comments are not only that because donald trump has been a union buster his entire career. he has called union leaders, quote, dues-sucking people. okay. he said that he supports so-called right-to-work laws, quote, 100%. okay? he bragged and joked with a billionaire buddy about mass firing striking workers and lowered labor standards and made it easier for companies that break the laws to get federal contracts. donald trump encouraged automakers of michigan so they could pay their workers less, encouraged them to move so they could pay their workers less.

okay? and when the uaw went on strike to demand the higher wages you deserve, donald trump went to a nonunion shop and attacked the uaw. he said, striking and collective bargaining don't make -- and i'm going to quote -- a damn bit of difference. so here is the bottom line. donald trump's track record is a disaster for working people, and he is, i believe, an existential threat to america's labor movement, and everything he intends to do if he is reelected is also spelled out in that project 2025. so to read it and to know it is to know he intends to launch a full-on attack on unions and the

freedom to organize. okay. he will ban public sector unions, roll back workplace safety protections. read it when you have some time. google it. everybody is watching. look, he will make it easier for companies to deny overtime pay for workers and appoint a union buster to run the department of labor. be sure of that. be sure of that. so to all of the friends here, i say what you already know, it is time to turn the page. turn the page. turn the page. because america is ready to chart a new way forward, and we are not going back! we are not going back. [ applause ]

>> no, we are not going back. [ chanting: we're not going back! we're not going back ] >> because as uaw always does, we are going to push forward. we are going to push forward and it all comes down to this. look, you all have taken time out of your busy lives to be here this afternoon, and we are all here together because we know the stakes in this election are so high. we are all here together because we love our country. we love our country, and i do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, the expression of the love of our country to fight for our i deals and that's what this is about. this is not at the end of the day a fight against something. this is a fight for something. this is a fight for something,

including the fight to realize the promise of america. after all, that's what unions have always done. it is about understanding the promise of america, which has to include the promise that we should make to the workers of america. so we have 18 days to get this done. it is not a lot of time, okay? we know this is going to be a tight race until the very end. we are the underdog, but make no mistake, we will win. we will win. we will win. we will win. i'm telling you. it is going to be hard work but we like hard work. hard work is good work. and ultimately we will win because we know what we stand for, and when you know what you

stand for you know what to fight for, right? we stand for opportunity. we stand for dignity, and we stand for the future. and so i'll close by saying, and when we fight, we win. god bless you. god bless you. [ cheering and applause ] you've been watching vice president kamala harris at a uaw union hall in lansing, michigan. we are back with juanita tolliver and jason johnson. so much of what we've been talking about over the course of the hour unfolding there. donald trump goes to the state, ends up speaking poorly about major metropolitan areas. she comes to the state, she talks about policy vision, a path forward. >> she also further drew that contrast by playing clips of donald trump bad mouthing workers, and the fact that she is able to do that is just yet another reminder, like we were speaking about with kevin, what he truly thinks about the

american people, what he truly thinks about workers and what he intends to do to cause harm to all of these individuals. >> right now the harris campaign recognizes that energy is on their side. she's had two great weeks of media. now they just have to hit the ground, and workers, given the splits we have seen in union endorsements, it is very important for her to be at these union halls and get these volunteers out because the union vote and the union -- >> not even just the split in endorsement, but even where there have been endorsement there is work to rally some of the workers, too. >> yes. >> i thought it was interesting. she landed exactly on what matt dowd said earlier, you need to do the stuff. you need to say, we're going to win this but the only reason we're going to win this is because you are going to get out there and vote, and we know we're the underdog in this. >> she has repeatedly said she will fight for every vote, but now it is time to deliver. i appreciated the confidence. like jason said, momentum is on their side shall and so carrying it through for the next 18 days.

the energy we saw from her, whereas trump is cancelling events, claiming he is exhausted, massive contrast in the election. >> at opposed to everything that she has signs behind her that keep the focus on who the event is to be about. juanita tolliver, dr. jason johnson, thank you both so much for riding out this breaking news for me. catch me on the weekend along with co-host symone sanders town sunday and michael steele. tomorrow we will talk to jaime harrison, dnc chair, and sunday elizabeth warren joins the conversation. that's the weekend. thank you for spending this friday with us. do not worry, nicolle will be back with us on monday. "the beat with ari melber" starts right now. >> i want to welcome everybody to "the beat." harris continuing to do what trump won't, capping her intense fox interview with a new exan