Trump meets with the Teamsters as he tries to cut o Biden’s union
WASHINGTON — As he looks past the GOP primary and toward a likely general election rematch against President Joe Biden, Donald Trump met with members of the Teamsters Union in Washington on Wednesday as he tries to cut into Biden’s organized labor support.
The former president participated in a roundta- ble with the group’s exec- utive board, its president and members as he targets the blue-collar workers who fueled his 2016 victory and who are expected to play a major role in November, particularly in critical Mid- western swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
Union voters tend to vote Democratic, with 56% of members and households backing Biden in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. And Biden has already received significant orga- nized labor backing with early endorsements from the AFL-CIO and others. But Trump is hoping to cut into that support as he casts him- self as pro-worker and tries to exacerbate longstanding divisions between union leaders and rank-and-file members.
On Sunday, he called on members of the United Aut
rkers to oust their president, Shawn Fain, after the group endorsed Biden.
“Shawn Fain doesn’t understand this or have a clue,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. “Get rid of this dope & vote for D JT. I will bring the Automobile Industry back to our Country.”
ong the topics planned for discussion Wednesday were the shrinking middle class, workers’ wages, antitrust and bankruptcy issues, as well as union rights.
“Our members want to hear from all candidates of all parties about what they plan to do for working people as President,” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “Our union wants every candidate to know that there are 1.3 million Teamsters nationwide whose votes wi l not be taken for granted. Workers’ voices must be heard.”
Biden has long billed himself as the most laborfriendly president in history, and went so far as to turn up on a picket line in the Detroit area during an autoworkers’ strike last fall. He was also invited for his own session Wednesday.