NORTH CAROLINA – Former President Donald Trump is set to present his economic proposals and hit out at the “hardships created by the Harris-Biden Administration” at a North Carolina rally 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. Trump has been on the defensive in recent days, following weeks of growing momentum for the newly minted Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden stepped aside as 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 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 Musk featured a wide array of topics, including the attempted assassination attempt against the former president, government regulations and worker strikes. Trump praised 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 Practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board. “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.

“Firing workers for organizing, striking, and exercising their rights as Americans is economic terrorism,” O’Brien said. But before his comments with Musk, the former president had expressed some labour-friendly remarks. O’Brien spoke at last month’s Republican National Convention, calling Trump “one tough SOB”. (BBC)…[+]