Levin Compares Back-to-Back Biden and Trump Visits to Michigan

WARREN, MI — Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), Vice Chair of the House Education & Labor Committee, released the following statement after Vice President Joe Biden visited Michigan’s Ninth Congressional District and other stops in Southeastern Michigan yesterday and President Donald Trump held a rally in Freeland, Michigan this evening. 

“The choice in fifty-four days for the people of Michigan could not be more stark. What a slap in the face to the nearly 7,000 Michigan families who have lost a loved one to COVID-19 for Trump to break the law, gather a large group with no social distancing, and scream at our Governor to ‘Open up your state.’

“Compare this with Biden’s visit: he’s not just demonstrating leadership in his words, but with his actions and adherence to health guidelines, modeling what a safe event should look like during a pandemic that has infected over 6 million Americans.

“Most importantly, he’s demonstrating that this moment calls for less yelling and more listening. Knowing our state has lost over 57,000 manufacturing jobs under Trump, Biden came and met with union workers in manufacturing across the region and described a plan to Build Back Better by reshoring jobs and revitalizing industry. As workers have faced an erosion of rights for decades and had their jobs and their sense of worth outsourced and devalued, Joe Biden came to listen and to offer a vision of hope, promising to protect their rights to organize for a fair shot for a middle-class job and the American dream.

“For all my harsh words for Trump, I really do understand why some voters in Michigan rolled the dice in 2016. They have felt ignored by Lansing and Washington for far too long, and they thought maybe this businessman from New York might help them catch a break. Watching our public health and our economy in freefall for months with nothing put unkept promises thrown as a lifeline and the same reckless rhetoric and behavior, I am confident that they will make a different bet this time. A steady, trustworthy leader who listens is what this moment demands, and what Joe Biden delivers.”