PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Teamsters Union leader Sean O’Brien weighed in on the ongoing clash between Elon Musk and President Donald J. Trump, stating that the fight proves Trump puts American workers first over donor interests. O’Brien has emerged as a staunch ally of the Trump White House and its pro-American trade agenda.

👥 Who’s Involved: Sean O’Brien, the Teamsters Union, President Donald J. Trump, and Elon Musk.

📍 Where & When: O’Brien’s comments were made on social media late Thursday night, June 5, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “If Elon’s temper tantrum has revealed anything, it’s that [President Donald J. Trump] isn’t bending over for big donors, no matter if it’s SpaceX, the Chamber of Commerce, or the Right to Work Foundation,” O’Brien wrote.

⚠️ Impact: O’Brien’s comments suggest the political realignment in the United States continues apace, with the Republican Party under President Trump becoming a more pro-working-class, populist political coalition.

IN FULL:

Sean O’Brien, the General President of the Teamsters Union, argues that the falling out between President Donald J. Trump and billionaire technology mogul Elon Musk proves the former is dedicated to putting American workers first. In a series of late-night posts on X (formerly Twitter), O’Brien, who was the first Teamsters leader in history to address the Republican National Convention, blasted Musk over the billionaire’s erratic social media posts attacking Trump and claiming credit for Republican wins in the 2024 election.

“Let’s get one thing straight: [President Donald J. Trump] wasn’t elected by Elon,” O’Brien wrote. “He won because working people have had enough of ego-driven billionaires like [Elon Musk] who want to run away to Mars only after they eliminate every decent job in this country.”

Musk’s attack on Trump’s tariffs—aimed at reshoring American jobs and restoring the nation’s manufacturing sector—appears to have prompted the response from O’Brien.

Notably, President Trump has enacted historic tariffs, which have brought over 100 nations to the negotiating table, seeking bilateral trade agreements. The National Pulse reported earlier this week that Vietnam—in an effort to reduce the tariffs on their products—has already agreed to increase their annual purchases of U.S. agricultural products to $2 billion. Such agreements are likely to have a significant impact on reducing the U.S. trade deficit overall.

“[Elon Musk] will abandon America—and Planet Earth itself—if it means he can stop Tesla’s stock implosion,” the Teamsters chief wrote in another post referring the historic collapse of Tesla’s stock value Thursday afternoon, adding: “If Elon’s temper tantrum has revealed anything, it’s that [President Donald J. Trump] isn’t bending over for big donors, no matter if it’s SpaceX, the Chamber of Commerce, or the Right to Work Foundation.”

“Thanks to this President, the GOP is changing, and for the better. We all need to be committed to working people if we want a better future, in our own country and across the globe,” O’Brien said.

In other posts, the Teamsters General President got a bit personal, writing: “Never forget that Elon doesn’t believe in America. Never has, never will. He brags about leaving this planet. He dreams of robots and rockets and money.” He added: “Have fun terraforming Mars with your kid army and incestuous space brood, [Elon Musk]. The rest of us don’t have escape pods. We have work in the morning.”

Taking another dig at Musk’s penchant for fathering children with multiple women, O’Brien quipped: “The only thing [Elon Musk] is worse at than colonizing Mars is respecting working people… and remembering to pull out.”