Trump courts workers with car loan tax break, tariffs on China vehicles

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Oct 10 proposed making interest on car loans tax-deductible and preventing Chinese automakers from selling vehicles in the United States, in a push to appeal to auto workers in the final weeks of election campaigning.

In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club that ran for about two hours, Trump criticised electric vehicles (EVs), the United Auto Workers union that represents auto workers, and even the city of Detroit where he was speaking.

Polls show Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris locked in a tight race ahead of the Nov 5 election, with the outcome expected to be decided by slim margins in battleground states like Michigan, of which Detroit is the largest city.

He alluded to the city's economic struggles in his speech while taking a jab at Ms Harris.

“The whole country is going to be like, you want to know the truth, it'll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if (she) is your president,” Trump said.