A recent setback for former President Donald Trump, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union officially endorsed his rival, President Joe Biden, in the upcoming 2024 presidential race. This development, reported by Newsweek on January 24, 2024, marks a notable divergence from Trump’s attempts to appeal to blue-collar workers and position himself as a champion of American manufacturing.
Despite Trump’s efforts, the UAW’s endorsement is seen as a response to his history of anti-union rhetoric both before and during his presidency. Ray Curry, the president of the 397,000-member UAW, announced the endorsement and highlighted Biden’s commitment to strengthening union rights and promoting American-made manufacturing, citing legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act. Curry contrasted this with Trump’s opposition to initiatives like the PRO Act, designed to enhance workers’ organizing rights.
Curry remarked on Trump’s track record, stating, “He’s proven himself no friend to workers over and over again throughout his checkered business career and during his disastrous one-term presidency.” The UAW president emphasized Trump’s installation of union critics in key labor positions, regulatory rollbacks, and nominations of anti-union judges during his presidency.
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Despite Trump’s attempts to court working-class voters with rallies at United Auto Workers facilities and visits to manufacturing plants, his critical stance on union leadership has been a consistent theme. In particular, Trump’s comments at a Michigan rally last September, where he suggested that union leaders misuse workers’ dues, underscored his tense relationship with organized labor.
The UAW endorsement adds to the challenges Trump faces in his bid to improve his standing among working-class voters as he gears up for a potential 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, President Biden appears to be solidifying support from labor groups after addressing initial concerns by taking assertive actions to back organizing and collective bargaining. This includes inviting UAW leaders to the White House and appointing a former steelworkers’ union lawyer, Jennifer Abruzzo, as the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board.
