Written by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh
PITTSBURGH – The president of the Democratic Alliance, Kamala Harris, said on Monday that US Steel should stay at home, and talk to President Joe Biden to the working-class voters in Pennsylvania who also sympathize with his opponent.
The Labor Day event, a US holiday that marks the start of the post-summer race for the Nov. 5 election, marked Harris and Biden's first appearance together at a campaign rally since they were officially nominated as Democrats.
Harris used campaign events Monday in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two battleground states, to pay for the key labor vote. At a packed union hall in Pittsburgh, he addressed Biden's concerns about US Steel Corp being acquired by Japan's Nippon Steel.
“US Steel is a historic American company, and it is important for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies,” Harris said at the rally. “US Steel should always be American-owned and American-made.”
Biden said Harris will build on the progress he has made during his administration to improve the lives of union workers and said he will do everything possible to help.
“I'll be on the sidelines,” he said.
Harris' campaign sought to lobby workers for unions in the same way that Biden did during his presidency. Democrats aim to prevent union workers from voting for former Republican President Donald Trump, who is also blue-collar.
At the meeting in Pittsburgh, Todd Hamer, 48, said he thinks Biden's support for labor will help Harris.
“You're new,” Hamer said. “We are all still learning (about him), but he has a deep history and I think he will continue to advocate for labor and union leaders to help support unions and their goals.”
Trump, locked in a tight race with Harris, did not leave the campaign trail Monday. His campaign has announced several events later in the week, including in North Carolina and Wisconsin.
The Harris campaign mocked Trump's lack of public appearances on Monday. “Trump … golf?” Harris campaign said in X.
A Trump campaign aide said Harris' decision to align voters with Biden gave Trump's team another chance to bring Democrats together politically.
Trump said he would move to block the U.S. Steel deal, a deal that could raise concerns among union workers, a key swing state in Pennsylvania and other “Rust Belt” states that could decide the outcome of the election.
Responding to Harris' criticism, US Steel said it was committed to the agreement with Nippon Steel.
GAZA WAR WISHES A SHADOW
Both Harris and Trump are expected to increase voter outreach in the coming weeks, especially in swing states.
Harris hopes to continue the enthusiasm that fueled his entry into the race among Democrats, donating record amounts of money and volunteering by the tens of thousands.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found Harris leading Trump nationally 45% to 41%.
On Monday, the development in the Middle East regarding the negotiations on the agreement to reach the cessation of arms in Gaza and the release of hostages became a shadow of the campaign.
Over the weekend, Israel retrieved the bodies of six hostages from the Gaza Strip where it said they had recently been killed by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, sparking widespread criticism of the Biden administration's strategy to end the war in Gaza.
Biden told reporters earlier Monday that he didn't think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was doing enough to get the hostage deal.
Late Monday, Biden said he would “eventually” talk to Netanyahu but declined to specify when.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed in a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 and about 250 were captured, according to Israeli figures.
Health authorities in Gaza say more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's offensive in the area, which has displaced nearly 2.3 million people, caused famine and led to accusations of genocide at the World Court, which Israel denies.
Biden and Harris met again with the US hostage negotiating team in Washington on Monday to discuss the next steps in efforts to free the remaining hostages.
With the battle raging in the US election, pro-Palestinian activists are threatening to mobilize anti-Harris protests on the campaign trail. Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists protesting America's support for Israel's war in Gaza staged a protest in New York City on Monday.
