Major unions, like the Teamsters, are flirting with the idea of endorsing Donald Trump, and Democrats are panicking.
Back up: Historically, unions and union voters have been a reliable voting block for Democrats.
The details: The Teamsters, one of the largest unions in the U.S., made a rare donation to the RNC after their president, Sean O’Brien, met with Trump. O’Brien also requested speaking slots at both the Republican and Democratic conventions, signaling potential bipartisan engagement.
- Another powerful union, the United Auto Workers (UAW), withheld its endorsement of Biden until January due to frustrations with his pro-EV policies.
Zoom out: Joe Biden likes to call himself the “most pro-union president,” and last September, dropped in on a UAW protest for a brief photo-op.
What do union workers think? According to exit polling, union voters swung for Biden by 16 percent in 2020. But according to the most recent polling, today, he leads by just 9 percent.
- In April, Trump shook hands and took pictures with union workers outside his Manhattan ‘hush money’ trial. One worker, Darren Could, said: “They say unions aren’t big for Trump — well they are. Maybe the top union brass aren’t but when you talk to the men on the construction site, they’re all about Trump.”
Democrats hit panic button: Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota warned his fellow Democrats, saying they “have to recognize that this affiliation [with union leaders] … is not translating into electoral support [from union workers].”
Big picture: Joe Biden is bleeding support from every corner of his core constituencies – black voters, hispanic voters, and young voters – with all showing unprecedented shifts towards Donald Trump.
Real talk: I don’t see the Teamsters endorsing Trump. But the fact that their leadership is publicly feigning tells you they know their members are behind the 45th president.
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