Trump seeks union support in battle with Biden for Midwest votes.
Former President Donald Trump Appeals to Union Voters in Bid for Endorsement
Former President Donald Trump is actively seeking the support of one of the Democratic Party’s most crucial voting blocs. His focus is on union voters, particularly in the Midwestern states where he faced defeat in the 2020 election. Trump has reached out to the United Auto Workers (UAW) in hopes of securing their endorsement.
“I think you’d better endorse Trump because I’m going to grow your business, and they are destroying your business,” he said in a video released last week.
In the video, Trump accuses President Joe Biden of waging war on the U.S. auto industry through electric vehicle mandates and green energy promises that only benefit the wealthy, while causing devastation to factories. The voting patterns of union workers will be closely watched in the upcoming 2024 presidential contest.
Trump’s success in winning the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where the UAW is based, played a significant role in his previous election victory. However, Biden managed to flip these states back in 2020 by emphasizing his roots in Scranton and adopting some of Trump’s policies. If Trump becomes the GOP nominee, he will once again attempt to win over the blue-collar union voters who have shown a recent trend towards supporting Republicans.
Former Michigan Democratic Rep. and UAW employee Andy Levin dismisses Trump’s chances, stating, “My reaction is two words: Dream on.” Levin, now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, acknowledges that Trump implemented policies that attracted potential Democratic voters. Notably, Trump promised to bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States and implemented trade tariffs to boost domestic factory employment.
However, Biden has largely maintained Trump’s tariffs and proudly signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law. Levin predicts that these actions will be enough to retain the support of union workers and keep the blue wall intact in the upcoming election.
Despite facing skepticism from union leadership, Trump has already garnered endorsements from over a dozen unions. He proudly refers to himself as the most pro-union president in history, having received significant financial support from labor groups during his 2020 campaign.
However, the voting preferences of union members do not always align with those of their leadership. According to Edison research, Biden won 57% of union households nationwide in 2020, compared to Trump’s 40%. This was twice the margin of Hillary Clinton’s advantage among union voters in 2016.
Biden, who frequently visits the Rust Belt, warns that manufacturing jobs are at risk if he does not secure the White House in the next election. At a rally with union members in Pennsylvania, he stated, “If Republicans come after what I’ve done, when they come back to try to get rid of all these clean energy investments and they try to stop the plan on infrastructure, when they try to do these things, guess what? They’re coming for your jobs.”
The UAW union is hesitant to endorse any candidate due to concerns that the rise of electric vehicles will lead to a decrease in auto plant jobs. Trump claims that he would fight harder for auto workers than Biden. However, UAW spokesman Jim McNeill did not comment on the Trump video, stating, “We don’t have anything new on that front.”
Despite Trump’s efforts, the likelihood of receiving the UAW’s endorsement is slim. UAW President Shawn Fain has expressed that another Trump presidency would be a “disaster.”
Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, highlights the ongoing discussion surrounding the disconnect between union leadership, union funds, and the voting preferences of rank-and-file members.
“You think of union members as people without a four-year college degree, which is now a pretty Republican group,” Kondik explains. ”It’s pretty natural for Trump to appeal to that segment of the electorate.”
Trump’s focus on the UAW stems from the fact that most other unions have already endorsed a Democrat well in advance of the next election.
“It’s almost like Trump has to try to find a union that’s upset with the president,” Kondik remarks. “In terms of labor leadership, Biden seems to be doing pretty well. It’s just that there’s always been a disconnect between labor leadership and their own rank and file.”
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