Fain says ‘no trade-off’ between anti-Trump and pro-tariff stances – Washington Examiner
Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), has stirred controversy by praising former President Donald TrumpS tariffs on automobiles while reiterating that his overall stance towards Trump remains unchanged. In an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Fain emphasized that finding common ground on tariffs doesn’t negate his opposition to trump’s broader policies, arguing that there is “no trade-off” between these views.He previously campaigned against Trump but expressed willingness to collaborate with him post-election.
Fain lauded Trump’s 25% auto tariffs,stating they could help end a “free trade disaster,” which he believes has negatively impacted American workers. He criticized the Trump administration’s anti-union actions as considerably more detrimental than previous actions by former President Ronald Reagan, signaling his concern for public sector union rights.
despite his approval of the tariffs, Fain remains critical of Trump’s policies towards unions and emphasizes the need for better conditions for American auto workers. He has called for more companies to move jobs from Mexico, where labor is extremely low-cost, and advocates for renegotiating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to better support American labor.
UAW’s Shawn Fain says there’s ‘no trade-off’ between anti-Trump and pro-tariff stances
The leader of the United Auto Workers union has raised eyebrows by praising President Donald Trump‘s tariffs, but he maintains his position toward the president has not changed.
“Just because we find common ground on tariffs or trade doesn’t mean that everything else goes out the window,” UAW President Shawn Fain said on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “There is no trade-off here.”
Fain campaigned heavily against Trump last fall, casting his lot with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, but he said after the election that he was open to working with the 47th president.
He took that a step further last week by praising Trump’s 25% auto tariffs, saying they would bring an end to the “free trade disaster.”
“The Trump administration has made history with today’s actions,” Fain said after the tariffs were announced. “The UAW and the working class in general couldn’t care less about party politics; working people expect leaders to work together to deliver results.”
He reiterated that message on Sunday when asked whether the boost from Trump’s trade protectionism was worth his anti-union policies.
The Trump administration has a relatively pro-union stance when it comes to the private sector but has been fierce in taking action against public sector unions. It moved to cut collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal workers last week, an issue that’s sure to wind up in court.
Fain said Trump’s anti-union actions were 100 times worse than former President Ronald Reagan’s infamous firing of air traffic controllers in 1981.
“You’re talking, you know, 700,000 people, their contracts just being taken away,” Fain said. “Free speech is under attack. Unions are under attack.”
Even so, he stuck by his stance that import duties would be a plus for American auto workers.
“We’re not partisan to any one party,” Fain said.
Fain also praised Trump’s senior trade counselor, Peter Navarro, saying he is spot on about tariffs and that economists criticizing the policy are wrong.
“The same economists that are saying this now are the same ones in 1992 that said overnight, when NAFTA was created, there would be 400,000 jobs created in America,” Fain said. “We know what happened there — they got it wrong.”
Tariffs are an issue, he continued, only because a bottom-line-oriented Wall Street has taken notice.
UAW praises Trump auto tariffs and end of ‘free trade disaster’
“Where was Wall Street when all these manufacturers were leaving the country over the last 30 years?” he asked.
Fain called for more auto manufacturers to move jobs out of Mexico, saying that workers there earn as little as $3 an hour, and he called for a renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, which is up for renegotiation next year.
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