Trump touts economic plan after union rights row

Former President Donald Trump held a rally to announce his economic proposals and hit out at the “hardships created by the Harris-Biden Administration” in North Carolina on Wednesday, as he faces increased scrutiny from union workers.

Trump has come under fire from union members for voicing support for firing workers who strike, which he brought up during a social media conversation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk earlier this week.

The United Automobile Workers (UAW) union has since filed charges with federal labour regulators on accusations of intimidation.

The stop in Asheville, North Carolina, is the second rally for Trump in two weeks, marking a slower pace for the former president’s campaign.

In his speech, he vowed to “rapidly drive prices down and make America affordable again” in his second term.

He argued that Biden-Harris administration has “broken” the US economy, asking the crowd: “Does anyone here feel richer under Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe? Is anything less expensive under Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe?”

He promised to lower energy costs by opening up more land for drilling, and pledged to reverse renewable energy and infrastructure projects approved by President Joe Biden. He repeated his commitment to remove taxes on tips, a policy also endorsed by the Harris campaign.

Trump has been on the defensive in recent days, following weeks of growing momentum for the newly minted Democratic ticket after Mr Biden stepped aside as a candidate.

Reports suggest the Trump campaign is trying to get their candidate back on message after several events in which the former real estate mogul has been less focused on policy – and as support for his new opponent Vice-President Kamala Harris is growing.

A new survey from the Cook Political Report shows Ms Harris erasing Trump’s polling leads in multiple swing states. According to the publication, she polls ahead of the former president in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The pair are tied in Georgia, according to the poll released Wednesday.

The hours-long live-streamed conversation between Trump and Mr Musk featured a wide array of topics, including the assassination attempt against the former president, government regulations and worker strikes.

Trump praised Mr Musk for firing workers who went on strike

Trump said that if workers strike, “you say ‘that’s okay, you’re all gone. You’re all gone.’ So everyone is gone.”

But federal law says companies cannot fire striking employees.

On Tuesday, the UAW filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

On Wednesday, the union said it planned to mobilize its one million active and retired workers to vote for Ms Harris in November.

The move gives her campaign momentum in swing states such as Michigan, where UAW members accounted for 9.2% of the state’s votes for Mr Biden in 2020, the union said.

“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O’Brien echoed those sentiments.

“Firing workers for organizing, striking, and exercising their rights as Americans is economic terrorism,” O’Brien said on Tuesday.

But before his comments with Mr Musk, the former president had expressed some labour-friendly remarks.

Mr O’Brien spoke at last month’s Republican National Convention, calling Trump “one tough SOB”.

Outside the Asheville venue where Trump spoke, supporters described to BBC News why they back the former president.

“I love the fact that he stands for his beliefs and he stands for his country,” said Lisa Ramsey, an Asheville resident.

“I think he’s bold and boisterous,” said Maurice Booth of Sylva, North Carolina. “And he gets things done.”

Zach Young, from nearby Hendersonville, said the Biden administration has overseen “three and a half years of suffering”.

“We need to get back on the right page. The country needs to be run like a business,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Trump cast his ballot in Florida’s primary election. His vote was submitted during the early voting window.

He has previously been a critic of early voting, claiming without evidence that it makes elections vulnerable to fraud.