Build it here, with unions at the table
Jobs, trade & manufacturing
El-Sayed argues that NAFTA-style trade deals hollowed out Michigan manufacturing, and that smart, targeted tariffs and unions at the table can bring dignified jobs back.
There is bipartisan support already to blow up the USMCA, which has been a cancer on our manufacturing industry in Michigan… Donald Trump’s version of tariffs is like chemotherapy, but you give the patient all the chemo at the same time.
WHAT HE HAS SAID
- Says trade deals like NAFTA have been a disaster for American manufacturing and have rotted out towns and destroyed communities.
- Wants to bring dignified, well-paying jobs to Michigan by investing in the technologies of the future, using tariffs steadily and narrowly to protect them while they grow.
- Says dumb trade agreements negotiated without unions at the table siphoned away manufacturing jobs, and that unions must have a significant voice where decisions about the economy’s future are made.
- Supports targeted, smart tariffs focused on growth industries, with clear benchmarks for trading partners that sunset as American manufacturers establish themselves, and opposes Trump’s incoherent, self-serving version of tariffs.
- Supports protecting workers on the job as part of holding corporations accountable for the future of the economy.
Primary sources
- Read the campaign position — Abdul for U.S. Senate
Last reviewed 2026-08-19.