Former US Rep. Rogers attacks Biden on economy and EVs in RNC speech • Michigan Advance

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers was among five GOP U.S. Senate candidates from battleground states on Tuesday night to address the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

In his approximately four-minute speech, Rogers railed against President Joe Biden on the economy and electric vehicles.

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“The most expensive vehicle to operate in Michigan in 2024 is your grocery cart, thanks to the Democrats in Washington, D.C.,” said Rogers. “And while pockets are pinched, Biden is trying to force you to buy an electric vehicle. Better get a long extension cord.”

While inflation peaked in June 2022 at 9.1%, the overall rate during Biden’s presidency has been 5.7%. It was pegged at 3% in June, while so-called “core” inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, climbed just .1% from May to June this year, the slowest monthly growth since Biden took office in January 2021. As for the overall economy, it continues to see steady growth, so much so that the head of the International Monetary Fund noted in June that the “U.S. is the only G-20 economy whose GDP level now exceeds the pre-Pandemic level.”

Rogers claimed EV mandates would destroy American jobs as the manufacture of electric vehicles would require 40% less labor to build than traditional gasoline powered vehicles. 

“And here’s the kicker, 85% of the critical minerals needed to build them are processed in China,” said Rogers. “It is impossible to build an EV without getting into bed with the Communist Party of China.”

The mandates that have become a consistent GOP talking point refer to Environmental Protection Agency targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions by mid-century that factored in anticipated increases in electric vehicles. As the demand for EVs has fallen off, the Biden administration has adjusted its forecast for EV transition.

Rogers then promised to keep Michigan’s automotive industry independent of Chinese influence.

“I’ll tell you this, I will never put our children’s future at the hands, or as a matter of fact, the Michigan auto business in Michigan in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, and it’s the Republicans that are going to stop them from doing that,” he said.

However, Rogers’s own financial connections to China have created questions about that commitment, including as The Detroit News reported, the fact that his wife, Kristi, served “on the board of a company that’s touted its partnership with a China-based entity. And Rogers himself briefly worked for AT&T, which faced pushback for its entanglements with a Chinese telecom giant.”

Additionally, financial disclosures show that in the two years before he announced his Senate bid, Rogers earned at least $460,000 working as a risk analyst for the Nokia Corp., which in January announced that after a decade of extensive business deals in China, it was selling its majority stake in a Beijing-based firm amid rising tensions with the U.S.

Alyssa Bradley, communications director for the Biden-Harris campaign in Michigan, issued a statement touting Biden’s policies toward the automotive industry as having greatly benefited Michigan.

“The bottom line is this: Donald Trump had the United States losing the electric vehicle race to China. President Biden is keeping Michigan at the forefront of car manufacturing by investing in the future and ensuring good-paying union auto jobs end up in America, not halfway around the world,” said Bradley. “Under President Biden, over 25,000 manufacturing jobs have come to Michigan. Under Trump, we lost over 30,000 manufacturing jobs thanks to his reckless policies that had China winning the electric vehicle race and that hurt Michigan’s working families. Michiganders deserve a leader who creates jobs — and that leader is President Biden.”

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced last year she would not seek another term, leaving the seat open. The Cook Political Report now rates the race as a tossup amid Biden’s poor polling numbers.

Although Rogers is the only one of the four GOP candidates for Senate to speak at the RNC convention, he still must win the Republican primary on Aug. 6. His opponents for that race are former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.), Grosse Pointe Park businessman Sandy Pensler and physician and former congressional candidate Sherry O’Donnell.

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and actor Hill Harper of Detroit are running in the Democratic primary.

Rogers rounded out his speech with a swipe at Biden’s age and ability to lead the nation.

“Our adversaries aren’t stupid. They know that all they need to do is wait until nap time at the White House to push the limit. Does anyone really believe that another four years of Biden-[Vice President Kamala] Harris, and the Democrat Senate will make us safer or more prosperous? I certainly don’t. And I don’t think Michigan does, either,” said Rogers.

GOP former presidential candidate Perry Johnson also spoke at the RNC on Tuesday night. Johnson, a Michigan businessman who also launched a failed 2022 gubernatorial bid, bashed Biden, as well as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“I live in Michigan, a state with grit in its veins, beautiful Great Lakes and greatness in its soul. We built the auto industry. We win national championships: Go Blue!” Johnson said, referring to the University of Michigan football team. “But under Joe Biden and Gretchen Whitmer, we can’t catch a break. And Michigan isn’t alone. Everyone worries about the economy.”