Trump warns of Biden-Harris agenda's impact on autoworkers

Analyzing the article

ABC News
ad hominem
appeal to fear

Our Analysis: 2 Fallacies


They're building big auto plants in Mexico. In many cases owned by China. They're building these massive plants, and they think they're going to sell their cars into the United States because of these people. What they have given to China is unbelievable. But we're not going to let that. We'll put tariffs on those cars so they can't come into our country.

Trump raises a valid point that the Biden-Harris EV plans could open opportunities for Chinese automakers in the U.S. market, potentially to the detriment of US automakers, but aside from this, his comments mostly consist of unfounded personal attacks or fear-mongering.

1. ad hominem via straw man • Trump makes an attack on Joe Biden's character without sufficient evidence.


This is a crooked administration, and they're selling our country down the tubes. Why did he get 3 1/2 million dollars from the mayor of Moscow's wife? Why did he get -- why did she pay him 3 1/2 million dollars?


While there is some evidence of a payment in that amount from an ex-mayor's wife to a firm with a similar name to one in which Hunter Biden held a CEO title, it is a developing story, and it is not clear yet whether Hunter Biden received any of these funds personally.


Regardless, there is no direct connection to Joe Biden himself, at this point.


Given these facts, Trump's suggestion that there is or was a hidden agenda or secret motive behind Biden's actions, without offering more proof, is a character attack that relies on taking logical leaps to construct a straw man.

2. appeal to fear with loaded language • Trump implies that the opposition's policies will lead to negative consequences which he describes using emotionally charged language.


They will kill the United Auto Workers and any auto worker, whether it's in Detroit or South Carolina or any other place.


Although competition from China in the EV market may put pressure on US automobile sector jobs, Trump overstates his case with exaggerated language. This aims to persuade the audience through fear rather than reasoning.

References

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Disclaimer

Note that there being one or more apparent fallacies in the arguments presented in this article does not mean that every argument the arguer made was fallacious, nor does it mean there are not other arguments in existence for the same or similar position that are logically valid. Also note that checking for fallacies is not the same as verification of the premises the arguer starts from, such as facts that the arguer asserts or principles that the arguer assumes as the foundation for constructing arguments. For more about this, see our 'What is Fallacy Checking?'

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