JD Vance
Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) walks to speak with media at the airport before he departs on September 14, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance told supporters on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris is putting Americans on a "path to slavery."

Vance was speaking at a rally in Michigan when he made the comment while talking about Chinese auto imports. The auto industry is important to the state's economy.

"Harris wants to ship everybody's job off to China and then turn them into welfare dependents," Vance said. "That is not a path to prosperity, that is a path to slavery, and it's what Kamala Harris has been doing for three and a half years."

Accusing an African-American woman of supporting slavery could be considered charged rhetoric.

Vance made the statement a short time later calling for Democrats to tone down verbal attacks on Donald Trump. He claimed their words are putting the former president's life in danger after one assassination attempt and another possible attempt that was thwarted this past weekend.

When Vance started taking reporter questions he was asked whether future campaign rallies would be held indoors for security reasons.

He said he didn't know but cited the "500 patriots" at his rally and then boasted, "I'd like to see an assassin try to come in this room."

Vance will be back on the campaign trail on Wednesday. He has a rally set for 3 p.m. EDT in Raleigh, North Carolina. Donald Trump has a rally planned for Wednesday evening on Long Island in New York.