The enthusiastic crowd at Flint’s Dort Federal Event Center never showed signs of sleepiness or the inclination to leave early during former President Donald Trump’s Town Hall event Tuesday night.
The event was moderated by Trump’s former press secretary and current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
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Automotive manufacturing, inflation, taxes and energy were top issues addressed by Trump. Answering pre-screened questions from the audience, Trump said he would raise tariffs on all vehicles manufactured outside the U.S. He said foreign auto manufacturers could avoid such tariffs if they pledged to build their plants in places like Flint, Detroit, “or anywhere else in the United States for that matter.” He said those tariff could be as high as 100% or 200%.
He said he wants to send to foreign automakers the message, “You can’t flood our market with cars. You just can’t do it.”
Responding to another question on taxes, Trump took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposed plan that he claimed would “terminate” the tax cuts enacted during his first term, which would “double-up” taxes U.S. citizens pay today. He warned that the current Democratic presidential candidate’s capital gains plan, if enacted, would only benefit “appraisers and accountants.”
He continued: “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” adding it could raise some business taxes by 70% to 80%.
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He called Harris’ plan “unsustainable” and said it would devastate the U.S. auto industry.
“You won’t be making cars in our country anymore, you won’t be making anything in our country anymore,” he said.
A question for a woman identified only as Barbara, mother of three, grandmother of seven, great-grandmother of three, and a retired nurse, addressed inflation.
“How are you going to bring down the costs of food and groceries?” she asked.
Trump responded that he will work to bring down household energy bills by 50% within 12 months of assuming office. He claimed that interests rates would follow the decline of energy costs.
On his first day of office, Trump promised to do two things: “Close the border, and drill, baby, drill.”