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Biden uses union hall to take on Trump outside Duluth

The former vice president campaigned Friday at the carpenters union training center in Hermantown, where he was critical of Trump's response to COVID-19.

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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden talks with union carpenter Taylor Johnson at the Carpenter Training Center in Hermantown on Friday afternoon. (Brady Slater / bslater@duluthnews.com)

Joe Biden didn’t give updated positions on copper-nickel mining or the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement during a campaign stop in Hermantown on Friday, as some wanted.

But the Democratic presidential nominee, touring and speaking at a carpenters union training center, took on President Donald Trump.

In a half-hour speech mostly about blue-collar workers and the middle class, Biden opened by taking down the president’s response to COVID-19.

“So many lives lost unnecessarily because the president is only worried about the stock market and his reelection,” Biden said in front of a crowd of less than 50 people, only a portion of them civilian guests and union carpenters — the rest media, staff and U.S. Secret Service.

The day arrived with a record 50 new cases of the coronavirus in St. Louis County, and a death toll hitting 197,116 nationwide on Friday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics — the highest figure for a country in the world.

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“If we just wore masks nationwide, we’d save 100,000 lives between now and January,” Biden said, citing expert forecasts. “(H)ow many empty chairs around the dinner table, because of his negligence and selfishness?”

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Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden steps out of his campaign plane as he arrives at Duluth International Airport for campaign events in Duluth, Minnesota, U.S., September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Biden and Kamala Harris are vying for the presidency against the GOP Trump-Mike Pence ticket Nov. 3.

Biden’s visit coincided with the start of early voting in Minnesota and other states across the country. President Trump was also campaigning in Bemidji, Minnesota on Friday night.

“We need a president who knows we don’t have a shortage of CEOs, we have a shortage of plumbers and construction workers,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said.

Outside the union center, hundreds of Trump and Biden supporters lined busy U.S. Highway 53, flying banners and flags and eliciting honks and a large law enforcement presence.

Peter Sich, 67, of Alborn, Minnesota, sat in a lawn chair with his friend, Butch Sorenson, 70, of Island Lake, along the highway.

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“We’re trying to do all we can do to change the course of our country," Sich said. "I feel strongly that Trump and his administration have mass corruption and is an embarrassment for veterans."

Both Sich and Sorenson enlisted for military service in the 1970s right out of high school.

“I don’t think most veterans appreciate being called suckers and losers,” Sich said, referencing The Atlantic report this month using unnamed sources to cite Trump disparaging Marines who died in World War I.

Biden’s late son, Beau Biden, once served in the Army.

“My son spent a year in Iraq. He wasn’t a loser or a sucker; he was a proud patriot,” Biden said, before bringing up a well-known grievance the Scranton, Pennsylvania native has with Trump. “These are the guys who always thought that they were better than me, than us, because they had a lot of money.”

Nine months ago, the carpenters’ hall was the site U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, chose to announce his reelection bid in the 8th Congressional District. Popular with some unions, Stauber defended Trump's record with reporters Friday.

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He said the president's administration had boosted the economy in northern Minnesota and promised to support copper-nickel mining and the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline replacement project in the region. He said Biden had yet to support those projects and could stand in the way of growth on the Iron Range.

“I think that the contrast today is evident,” Stauber said. “And I can tell you that I’ve been all over, not only the 8th District, but northern Minnesota and the enthusiasm for this president is incredible because he supports those middle-class, blue-collar jobs.”

St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Musolf, a union representative who replaced Stauber on the board, was in the audience. Musolf wasn’t surprised to see the carpenters support Stauber and Biden both despite their opposing parties.

“You look at local races and national races and really what’s best for our area,” Musolf said, calling himself a Biden supporter. “I believe we can get unity back in our area and make progress."

Citing Duluth’s paper mill closure and a downturn on the Iron Range that has seen shipments out of the local port drop 31% over last year’s figures, Musolf added of Biden, “He’s got a real plan to build America back better. He’s not just saying it.”

Wayne Nordin, of Cloquet, regional director with North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, attended and noted a disparity in the carpenters’ ranks.

“Our membership is very split (between the candidates),” Nordin said. “It’s the usual issues — guns, abortion. We don’t care if there’s an R or D in front of your name. We’re pretty bipartisan.”

Biden’s economic plan called for a now-familiar tax increase for people making over $400,000 per year. Money raised would go toward putting tradespeople to work by modernizing infrastructure, bringing broadband internet to all homes, and reinforcing existing homes and structures.

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Biden said his plan calls for millions of buildings and homes leaking energy to be restored to efficiency. He wants to build 1.5 million new affordable housing units, and invest $100 billion in what he called "crumbling schools." He ripped Trump for not having plans, and talking big on improving infrastructure while failing to implement a massive infrastructure program.

Biden said he’ll invest $2 trillion in roads and bridges.

“I’ll do it without raising taxes,” he said. “You have nothing to worry about if you make less than $400,000. If you make more you’ll pay your fair share.”

He targeted Fortune 500 businesses that make billions but pay “zero” taxes, and he chided the president for using only the stock market as a metric for American prosperity.

“It’s time to reward hard-working Americans and not the wealthy,” he said, citing billions of dollars in profits for the most wealthy despite widespread hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After his small campaign rally, Biden made a couple of stops around Duluth starting with a visit to Canal Park. The former vice president met Gov. Tim Walz and Duluth Mayor Emily Larson at Amazing Grace Cafe and Grocery for a small group discussion.

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Former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden visits with Duluth firefighters Friday, Sept. 18 after a small campaign event in Hermantown. (Photo courtesy of the Duluth Fire Department)

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On his way to the airport. Biden stopped at the downtown Duluth Fire Department for about 10 minutes. About 20 people with the fire department were present, said Pete Johnson, president of the firefighter’s union, Duluth Firefighters Local 101.

“His history is pretty well known with what he's done for firefighters when he's been elected in the past,” Johnson said. “(He) has a history with the firefighters. He's had some personal tragedies in his life where firefighters rescued his sons when they were in a car accident, fire in his home, things like that. So he's always had a pretty personal connection to firefighters on the fire service.”

The International Association of Firefighters endorsed Biden in May 2019.

Forum News Service reporter Dana Ferguson and News Tribune reporter Andee Erickson contributed to this report.

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