Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz used an "exact quote" from former President Donald Trump to call out the ex-president's view of the working class during a fiery Labor Day speech in Milwaukee.
Walz referenced a leaked video shared late last year showing Trump promising wealthy GOP donors "tax cuts."
At the time, Trump said:
"You're all people who have a lot of money. You're all rich as hell. We're going to give you tax cuts [and] we're going to pay off our debt."
You can hear what Trump said in the video below.
And Walz used it against Trump to great effect, telling the crowd:
“This guy has made it clear how he stands. He’s sitting down at Mar-a-Lago after he got elected president, and this was his exact quote, he’s talking to a bunch of folks at Mar-a-Lago: ‘You’re rich as hell, and we’re gonna give you a tax cut.’"
"At the same time, he was telling workers they get paid too much already. That’s who this guy is.”
“You tell me who in Wisconsin is sitting around saying, ‘Damn, I wish they’d give billionaires tax cuts and screw me over. Damn, I wish they’d take my health care away. I wish they’d underfund my public school. I wish they would make my job more difficult and more dangerous. And then at the end of the day I wish they’d make me work ‘til I’m 75 years old.’”
"No one's saying that. No one's asking for that agenda. What they're asking for is to be treated fairly, with dignity. That's what we have."
You can hear what Walz said in the video below.
Many praised Walz's remarks and echoed his criticisms of Trump.
Walz, a former teacher and principal, also mentioned that he has consistently faced criticism throughout his political career for being a union member and advocating for unions.
He said:
"They said, 'Tim is in the pocket of organized labor.' I said, 'That's a damn lie. I am the pocket.' If you want to attack me for standing up for collective bargaining for fair wages, for safe working conditions, for health care and retirement, you roll the damn dice. I'll take my chances on that."
The event at which he spoke, the Henry Maier Festival Grounds along Lake Michigan, is put on each year by the Milwaukee Area Labor Council.
Before Walz took the stage on Monday, Rich Kangas, a member of Ironworkers Local 8, commended Vice President Kamala Harris for backing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, legislation aimed at empowering workers to organize, which has passed the House multiple times.
Harris has pledged to sign it into law if elected president, a commitment Walz reiterated at the event.
@lpeterp/Bluesky
@FPWellman/X
@bobsbeatgmail.com5/Threads