Rallying at a university in Michigan on Thursday, former President Donald Trump pitched his tax policy in a roughly 80-minute speech, warning the United States would be “plunged into a dark age” and Americans’ “family finances will be permanently destroyed” if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected over him.

Calling back to his decades as a businessman prior to running for president, Trump bemoaned having to pay workers overtime and said he would hire other workers to avoid giving employees overtime pay.

The aside came in a section of his speech dedicated to his campaign pledge to cut all federal taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security. 

“I used to hate to pay overtime when I was in the private sector, as they say. ‘Oh, I don't want over-’ you know, I shouldn't tell you this. I’d go out and get other people and let them work regular time. It's terrible. I'd say, ‘no get me 10 other guys. I don't want to have. I'm going to have. I don't want to have,’ but it'll be great.”

Prior to his political career, Trump was known for running businesses, some of which went bankrupt and failed to pay workers what they were owed. In 2016, USA Today interviewed hundreds of people who worked for Trump and said they were not paid for their labor. In 2018, his ex-chauffeur sued the Trump Organization for $178,200 in unpaid overtime pay. In 2019, undocumented immigrants working at one of his New York golf course said they were routinely forced to work unpaid overtime and denied health care benefits.

On Sunday, after Trump made similar comments at a Pennsylvania rally, the Harris campaign slammed their Republican rival, calling him a “scab” who “is selling snake oil lies in a desperate attempt to trick voters.”

“Donald Trump is finally owning up to it: He’s built an entire career on screwing over workers. It’s exactly what he did in the White House – trying to rip away tips and overtime pay for millions of workers – and exactly what he plans to do in a second term,” Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement. “He can’t be trusted – workers know it, and voters know it.”

During his first term, the Harris campaign noted, the Trump administration abandoned Obama administration plans to vastly expand the number of workers eligible for overtime pay in favor of a less generous expansion.

Beyond allegations of hypocrisy and empty promises from Democrats, Trump’s tax proposals have also faced scrutiny from policy experts, with the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Budget estimating ending taxes on all overtime pay would reduce federal revenue by $1.7 trillion over a decade. While the Trump campaign has said his plan would include guardrails so as not to completely gut revenue from income taxes, both the candidate and his campaign have offered few details on how the policies would work in practice. 

Federal law requires employers to pay certain workers 150% of their regular hourly pay for hours worked beyond the 40-hour work week. 

Trump to campaign in Georgia with Gov. Kemp for the first time in 2024

As Trump spoke, his campaign announced he'll appear in Georgia on Friday with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The two men have made peace after Trump in August unleashed a blistering attack on Kemp, whom he has faulted for not giving in to his efforts to overturn his loss in 2020.

Trump falsely claimed he won Georgia and the 2020 election despite actually losing to Democrat Joe Biden. He became enraged with Kemp and publicly feuded with him after the governor refused to help stop certification of Biden’s victory.

With Georgia one of the swing states that could decide the election, however, Kemp opted to endorse Trump last month.

He and the former president will appear together when Trump visits the community of Evans, Georgia. Trump will also receive a briefing on response efforts to Helene and give a speech, according to his campaign.

Trump continued to falsely insist he won the 2020 election on Thursday in Michigan, baselessly complaining it was “rigged” against him in the opening minutes of his speech. The remark came after his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has refused to say if he believes Trump lost in multiple appearances this week, including Tuesday’s vice presidential debate. 

“Donald Trump can’t lead our country forward because he refuses to let go of the past. He can’t improve your family’s life because he is obsessed with himself,” Harris campaign spokesperson Joseph Costello said in a statement. “That’s why, instead of offering any real solutions, the closing message from Trump and his running mate to battleground voters is a lie to undermine our democracy.”

The Democratic National Committee put up six billboards near Saginaw ahead of Trump’s visit on Thursday slamming him and Vance for denying the 2020 election results and imploring Michiganders to “defeat these election deniers.”

Harris herself will be in the area on Friday, for events in Detroit and Flint, Mich.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.