In Ann Arbor, Jane Fonda warns it would be 'impossible' to fight climate change if Trump wins • Michigan Advance

Actress and climate activist Jane Fonda said in Ann Arbor on Monday that the fight against climate change will be “impossible” if former President Donald Trump succeeds in returning to the White House in November.

Fonda said the effects of climate change are neither abstract nor distant in the future – they are already being felt.

“It's not just about the climate. It's about our health. They're killing us and we're paying them to do it,” Fonda said. “And it's going to get worse. It's going to be impossible. If he's elected, we lose.”

Fonda cited PFAs in Benton Harbor as an example, adding that she had heard that climate change was also affecting cherries in Michigan, which drew applause from the audience.

“It's not just four years. We can't lose four years. We have to halve our emissions by 2030,” Fonda said. “We're going in the wrong direction, and we'll be heading in the wrong direction if Trump is elected. We can't let that happen.”

Fonda, who is scheduled to speak Tuesday at a Climate Voters for Harris event hosted by the University of Michigan's College Democrats, said she frequently hears from college students who say they do not plan to vote or are considering third-party candidates.

“I tell my young people, nobody is perfect. No candidate is perfect. No husband or wife is perfect,” Fonda said. “They don't marry them – although I can think of worse people to marry. They make a pragmatic decision. If [Minnesota Gov. Tim] Walz and [Vice President Kamala] If Harris wins, you have a vote. If the orange man wins, you have no vote.”

Fonda said voters who wanted to change Harris's stance on certain issues would have to first get elected if they wanted to exercise that power.

“She cares about the people. She's not going to be a corporate president. We have to get her elected and then we have to organize like crazy,” Fonda said. “It's not over if we win the election. So we're not criticizing now, we're not saying, 'Oh, but I wish you –' no, uh-uh. Let her vote and then organize.”

Fonda spoke to a room full of volunteers in Ann Arbor before heading out to knock on doors herself.

Fonda said that her first campaign appearance was to campaign for her then-husband, Tom Hayden, who grew up in Royal Oak and was the author of the Port Huron Statement before eventually running for political office in California.

“What can you learn in a few minutes on the porch? I've learned so much by talking to people and finding out what they think, what's important to them,” Fonda said. “I think especially in the middle of the country, people want to be heard, they want to talk about what they need and what they feel.”

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) said the campaign office in Ann Arbor is responsible for 25% of Democrats' voter outreach in the state.

“I'm not competitive, but we do more door-to-door campaigning than anyone else in the state and have more contact with voters than anyone else in the state – and we owe that to all of you,” Dingell said.

Dingell said the momentum she sees in Ann Arbor makes her more optimistic than she was in 2016, when she expressed concerns about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign in Michigan.

“I'm trying desperately to be 'Debbie Determined' and not 'Debbie Downer.' I'm not going to hide the truth. I've never screwed you over and I'm never going to start now,” Dingell said. “You know, in 2016 nobody believed me. I'm telling you, the mood is different now. If I had just come here, I'd never be concerned, to be honest.”

But Dingell said that despite the momentum, she expects tough battles for Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (Democrat, Bay City) and former Sen. Curtis Hertel in their races to succeed U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (Democrat, Flint) and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, Holly), who each hold seats for Democrats. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Fonda was scheduled to speak at a fundraiser for state legislature candidates on Monday evening. She called for a “no-holds-barred” approach to the election.

Trump's running mate, Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance, is scheduled to hold an event in Sparta, West Michigan, on Tuesday. Trump is scheduled to visit Flint on Tuesday night to hold a campaign rally and highlight the importance of the 8th Congressional District, where Paul Junge is running for Congress for a third time, this time against McDonald Rivet.