Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said on Monday U.S. Steel (X.N), opens new tab should remain in domestic hands as she made her pitch to working-class voters in Pennsylvania during a rally with President Joe Biden.
The Labor Day rally marked their first appearance together on the campaign trail since Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in July, and the president introduced the vice president to a crowd of more than 600 people packed into a union hall.
"U.S. Steel is a historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies," Harris said in her remarks at the rally.
"U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated," she added.
The U.S. holiday of Labor Day marks the start of the vital post-summer sprint to the Nov. 5 election. Both Harris and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, are expected to ramp up outreach to voters, especially in battleground states which could prove decisive such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Nevada.
Trump stayed off the campaign trail on Monday, while Harris held events in Detroit and Pittsburgh, where she used her remarks to underscore support for steel workers.
Harris' position on U.S. Steel Corp (X.N), opens new tab mirrors that of Biden, who said in March that the company, which has agreed to be bought by Japan's Nippon Steel (5401.T), opens new tab for $14.9 billion, must remain a domestically owned American firm.
Trump in February had signaled he would move to block the deal, a potential merger that has stirred anxiety among some unionized workers, a key voting bloc in Pennsylvania and the other "Rust Belt" swing states likely to determine the results of the election. Last month, Trump said he would halt the deal.
U.S. Steel said on Sunday it is committed to the deal with Nippon Steel, which it calls the "best deal for them (employees) and the communities where they live in."
GAZA WAR CASTS SHADOW
Developments in the Middle East over talks on a deal to reach a Gaza ceasefire and release hostages cast a shadow on the event on Monday.
Over the weekend, Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza where it said they were recently killed by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, sparking sharp criticism of the Biden administration's ceasefire strategy and new pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the remaining hostages home.
Biden told reporters earlier on Monday he did not think Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a hostage deal.
The war is weighing on the U.S. election, with pro-Palestinian activists threatening to ramp up protests against Harris on the campaign trail. Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists opposing U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza held a protest in New York City on Monday.
Biden and Harris met with the U.S. hostage negotiation team on Monday and discussed the next steps in efforts to free the remaining captives, the White House said.
Some 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7 and around 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Health authorities in Gaza say more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault on the enclave since that has also displaced nearly its entire 2.3 million population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
POST-LABOR DAY SPRINT
Trump will participate in a FOX town hall on Wednesday hosted by Sean Hannity and later this week will address the Fraternal Order of Police at their fall meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, and hold a rally in Wisconsin.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Harris was leading in the race against Trump 45% to 41%.
Harris and Walz are hoping to keep up the enthusiasm her entry into the race has sparked among Democrats, who are donating record amounts of money to the campaign and volunteering by the tens of thousands.
The Harris campaign has focused on an upbeat, positive message about America's future, cost-cutting plans aimed at the middle class and attracting Republicans turned off by Trump.
Trump has sought to blame Harris for continued high food prices and illegal immigration, but his policy criticism has often been overshadowed by his demeaning comments about her intelligence and heritage, about immigrants and his amplifying of crude internet memes.