AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Vice President JD Vance visited an Auburn Hills manufacturing facility Wednesday, making the case that the Trump administration's economic policies have strengthened Michigan's manufacturing sector — even as gas prices top $4 a gallon and Michigan Democrats pushed back on his visit.
Watch Brett Kast's video report:
The campaign-style rally drew a crowd of supporters inside the facility, where Vance pointed to tax cuts, trade policy, and electric vehicle policy changes as drivers of growth in Michigan's auto industry.
"Just in the last six months, we've seen the effects of our tax policy start to make its way into the Michigan automobile industry," Vance said.
WATCH: Vice President JD Vance speaks in Auburn Hills
Vance argued those policies have led to an increase of 2,000 Michigan manufacturing jobs, a 2.4% rise last year in U.S.-made auto sales, and more money for American families.
"We are going to build right here in Michigan, right here at home, right here in the United States of America, and that's what we've done," Vance said. “The last 14 months under Donald Trump‘s leadership, the average American has actually increased their take-home pay by about $1,400.”
Michigan Democrats held a virtual press conference ahead of the event, disputing those claims. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel argued the administration's agenda has hurt working families.
"He won't mention the thousands of manufacturing jobs that Michigan lost because of their agenda, he won't mention the tens of thousands of people whose stamp benefits have been gutted, and he certainly won't mention the countless families who can no longer afford their health insurance," Hertel said.
For many Michigan drivers, the most pressing concern was the price at the pump. At a gas station on Maple and Telegraph, prices topped $4 a gallon. Janet Tate, a driver who stopped to fill up, said the cost is hitting her hard.
"It means I'm spending more money. My job is a great distance, and I drive a truck," Tate said.
Gas prices are rising in large part because of the U.S. war with Iran. After his speech, I asked Vance what the administration is doing to address the issue.
"Gas prices are up. We know they're up and we know people are hurting because of it," Vance said. "What we did working with these allies is we released hundreds of millions of barrels out of all these petroleum reserves, so we could put some downward pressure on prices. We're working on a number of things, in fact, a couple of things that I think will be announced in 24-48 hours. I don't want to get ahead of the President on that, but we recognize this is an issue. We're fighting against it, and we promise when this conflict draws to a close, when this operation draws to a close, we're going to see those energy prices come back down to reality because that's what the President promised to do."
With Vance repeatedly referencing the looming midterm elections, some potential voters said gas prices will factor into how they vote — and they're hoping the vice president's prediction of a 'temporary blip' proves correct.
"Oh, I hope it's temporary, very temporary, I'm thinking the weekend," Tate said.
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