Michigan got the bad end of the deal

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]There was a very strong belief, bipartisan belief, for many, many generations in the United States that given China's size, that if we integrated economically with them, then a rising tide would raise all boats.

[00:00:14]They would become more democratic. They would become more subscribers to the international rules and system that we all believed in, and that that would be the way that we manage the rise of China. And I think if you're sitting in Benton Harbor, Michigan, you really feel like we got the ass end of that deal, right? That jobs and opportunities went overseas, that we're now dependent on China for many things in our supply chains, for core things that my state manufactures. Just a feeling like, yes, we gave away some of that opportunity, but what we didn't get back in return was military neutrality or a sense that they're playing by the same set of rules. I'll put Michigan businesses against anyone if there's a level playing field, but they cheat.