Former President Donald Trump criticized the head of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) after the prominent labor group endorsed President Joe Biden last week. The move also came after Trump offered support for striking workers during a work stoppage against Detroit’s largest three automakers.
Trump called UAW President Shawn Fain a “Weapon of Mass Destruction on Auto Workers and the Automobile Manufacturing Industry” following the endorsement.
The former president also asked whether or not the UAW chief was “under contract to China,” with Trump arguing that China would “be getting almost all of our ‘Car making’ Business within a very short period of time. All Autoworkers should VOTE FOR TRUMP.”
Trump’s campaign also accused Biden of supporting “every single bloodsucking globalist for half a century — and now he’s coming back for more. But we will stop him.”
Fain also had strong words for the former president. Despite significant support for Trump among the UAW members, Fain told CBS News that he could not understand how anyone from his group could support Trump.
Fain said that he believed fewer workers would support Trump than in 2020. He added that the “overwhelming majority” of UAW and blue-collar workers would support Biden in November. He further said that Trump had a “history of serving himself” and the “billionaire class.”
🚨Massive UAW labor union boss TURNS on Biden LIVE on Fox News, forced to admit a majority of workers will be voting TRUMP:
"A great majority of our members will not vote for President Biden…the majority of our members are going to vote their paychecks." pic.twitter.com/ydKJWZB6Wv
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 25, 2024
He also said that Biden “bet on the American worker.” He cited Biden’s brief visit to the picket line during last year’s strike.
During the same work stoppage, Trump visited a number of auto workers, receiving a warm welcome. Trump received a considerably higher share of the vote in 2016 and 2020 than recent Republican presidential candidates.
Trump and Biden are hoping that the support of the auto workers could help put them over the top in the crucial state of Michigan in November. The state was particularly close in the last two presidential elections.
A small shift of support could place either candidate over the top. Biden is also facing a significant drop in support of both Muslim and Black Americans, who make up a considerable share of Michigan’s population.
