Opinion Today: Between Trump and Harris, one is worse for the auto industry’s future

Guess who.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 12, 2024 By Eliza Barclay Climate Editor, Opinion With so many memorable moments in Tuesday's debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris — from false dog-eating claims to "I have concepts of a plan" on health care — it would be easy to forget the time they tried to blame each other for the woes of the American auto industry. After Harris noted that the Biden administration is investing in American auto manufacturing, in contrast to how auto plants closed under Trump, the former president responded that Biden's policies aimed at reinvigorating the industry directly benefit China. It may be a subtle point in a wild election cycle, but in fact, the contributing writer Robinson Meyer argued in a guest essay published Wednesday, Trump bears significant responsibility for China's ascension in hybrid and electric vehicles (as well as other industries including solar, wind and battery production) and for G.M. and Ford's struggles to keep up. "America has fallen behind China in large part because Trump killed our climate policies," Meyer writes. And it's not just automakers that are lagging China. We are now facing, as Meyer puts it, "chronic trade and security concerns" because we don't yet have a viable battery industry to support our military in future crises. The way America can create that industry is first by developing a viable electric vehicle sector. Harris seems to understand that, but Trump appears poised to weaken or suspend all of the policies and subsidies that are currently helping American-made electric vehicles along. "With him once again in the Oval Office, America would be at risk of falling even further behind," Meyer writes. Read the guest essay: Illustration by The New York Times Guest Essay Trump's Obsession With Oil Could Destroy America's Auto Industry If Donald Trump wins a second term, America would be at risk of falling even further behind China. By Robinson Meyer Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks Guest Essay Harris Can Win on the Economy, but She Needs a Stronger Message Optimistic words and some admirable proposals aren't enough to overcome the discontent and anger that large majorities of Americans feel about the economy. By Jedediah Britton-Purdy More From Opinion Charles M. Blow Trump May Not Have Met His Waterloo, but He More Than Met His Match The election is too close to call, but the vice president has exposed the former president. By Charles M. Blow The Ezra Klein Show Harris Had a Theory of Trump, and It Was Right The vice president successfully baited Trump's angry, conspiratorial, free-associating side. But what wasn't said was just as telling. 46 MIN LISTEN Guest Essay It's an Invasive, Painful Procedure. Why Don't We Treat It Like One? Why do doctors underestimate the pain of IUD insertion? By Christine Henneberg Guest Essay A New Idea to Conserve Public Lands You can now lease federal property to restore it, not just to mine, cut or graze it. By Shawn Regan Pamela Paul To Put It Bluntly Much ado has been made of euphemism inflation. While it's easy to make fun of it, it's worth examining its logic. By Pamela Paul David French MAGA Will Fall for Anything Apparently, this election is about … pets. By David French Guest Essay The Deeper Meaning of Taylor Swift's Democratic Mic Drop Some regarded the timing as brilliant; others as bizarre. I promise you, she doesn't care. By Jennifer Weiner The Opinions Why Trump Would Likely 'Drive the Country Into a Recession' Binyamin Appelbaum on why Harris's ill-defined plan is still better than Trump's. 8 MIN LISTEN A Debate Recap With Song, Dance and Joseph Gordon-Levitt The debate analysis you didn't know you needed. DAvid Wallace-Wells Is Europe Turning Its Back on the Left? The elections went well. It's what came afterward that is worrying. By David Wallace-Wells Jessica Grose Parenting Has Always Been Hard Accepting that is the first step toward making it more tolerable. By Jessica Grose letters Harris vs. Trump: Assessing a Fierce Debate Readers analyze the candidates' performances, the moderators, the likely impact and claims of pet-eating. Stella Kalinina for The New York Times letters Scofflaws and Other Hazards on the Roads Readers react to articles about the rise in traffic deaths. Also: Neo-Nazis in Nashville; JD Vance and the rule of law; a ban on masks. 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