Harris, Trump trade barbs on manufacturing jobs, tariffs in debate

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris sparred over the automotive industry near the end of the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

In response to a question about climate change, Harris, the Democratic nominee, touted the Biden administration's investments in clean energy and creation of nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs.

"I'm also proud to have the endorsement of the United Auto Workers and Shawn Fain, who also know that part of building a clean energy economy includes investing in American-made products, American automobiles," Harris said. "It includes growing what we can do around American manufacturing and opening up auto plants, not closing them like what happened under Donald Trump."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. has added 739,000 manufacturing jobs since President Joe Biden took office. Under Trump, the U.S. added almost half a million manufacturing jobs by early 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out those gains.

Trump, the Republican nominee, said the current administration "lost 10,000 manufacturing jobs this last month," and that China-owned companies were building plants in Mexico to sell vehicles in the U.S.

"We'll put tariffs on those cars so they can't come into our country," Trump said. "Because they will kill the United Auto Workers and any auto worker, whether it's in Detroit or South Carolina or any other place. What they've done to business and manufacturing in this country is horrible."

Biden increased tariffs this year on Chinese-made EVs to 100 percent. BYD Co., China's top EV maker, has put its plans to build a plant in Mexico on hold until after the November election.