Trump Reaches Out To Striking Autoworkers With Campaign Promise
Workers at the “Big Three” U.S. automakers — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent company Stllantis — walked out on Friday when contract negotiations failed to result in an acceptable compromise.
The United Auto Workers union is seeking a 40% pay increase along with other concessions, but the automakers are thus far only offering about half that. The companies claim in part that they cannot afford to raise wages as high as workers are demanding because they need to sink even more of their profits into producing electric vehicles that are often sold at a loss.
Former President Donald Trump has seized on this issue with a campaign promise to autoworkers.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, he wrote that union members “are being sold down the ‘drain’ with this all electric car scam,” vowing that he would reverse the current trend if elected to serve a second term in the White House next year.
He went on to predict that, under President Joe Biden, electric vehicles would soon be built in China, leaving U.S. workers high and dry.
“Autoworkers, vote for Trump — I’ll make you victorious & rich,” the 2024 GOP primary front-runner added.
Trump’s post described Biden as “a Manchurian candidate,” declaring that the current president “is a crook who has been paid millions of dollars by China & others.”
Although Biden has claimed to be the “most pro-union president” in the nation’s history and unions tend to lean toward the Democratic Party, UAW President Shawn Fain said that the president cannot assume that he will receive its support next year.
“We expect action, not words,” Fain said during an interview over the weekend, adding that a union endorsement must be “earned” by any candidate in either party.
Whether UAW bosses back him or not, Trump issued a direct plea to rank-and-file union members to support his campaign.
“If your ‘leaders’ won’t endorse me, vote them out of office, now,” he wrote. “With the Democrats & Crooked Joe calling the shots, you’ll be jobless & penniless within 4 years.”
Shortly after the strike was confirmed, Biden addressed the situation, asserting that “no one wants a strike” and that he hoped a “win-win agreement” would ultimately be reached.
“But I respect workers’ right to use their options under the collective bargaining system,” he added.
