In 2016, a significant number of union members cast their votes for Donald Trump, contributing to his victory in the presidential election. Now, as nearly 13,000 auto workers are on strike at three U.S. factories, the former Republican president is making efforts to position himself for a potential encore.
Donald Trump’s bid to appeal to union voters is a strategic move aimed at challenging the current administration led by President Biden. The strike by thousands of auto workers presents an opportunity for Trump to connect with this critical demographic and potentially sway their support in his favor once again.
“He’s hitting a chord with some union workers,” Michigan State Rep. Mike McFall, a Democrat whose district includes part of Detroit, said of Trump. “There’s this view that Democrats have moved away from being the party of the people and the workers.”
In an effort to sway union voters, former President Trump is making a play to draw support from President Biden’s traditionally Democratic base. Republicans have been successful in gaining the favor of white, working-class voters, a demographic that includes many members of organized labor.
Under the banner of Trump’s populist approach, a new generation of Republican lawmakers is increasingly aligning with workers, often in contrast to corporations criticized for their left-leaning stances on social issues and their pursuit of profits in an increasingly contentious relationship with China.
Trump has expressed his support for striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and has urged them to exert pressure on union leadership to endorse him, though this prospect seems unlikely. Like other Republicans, he has chosen his words carefully, attributing the push for electric vehicles to policies promoted by President Biden and the Democrats. Auto workers fear that the transition from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles will result in job losses.
President Biden has sided with the UAW, some of whose members went on strike at assembly plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri for three different automakers. He has championed electric vehicles as beneficial for the environment and for stimulating domestic manufacturing, particularly as China has emerged as a major player in the electric vehicle industry.
The UAW endorsed Biden’s presidential bid in 2020, but it has not yet made an endorsement for the 2024 election. UAW President Shawn Fain has emphasized the need for President Biden to address concerns related to the auto industry’s transition to all-electric vehicles, including worries about job security, wages, and organizing.
As of now, President Biden has resisted calls from Democrats in the states where the strikes are occurring to visit the picket lines.
The dynamics of union politics and their impact on elections remain a crucial factor in American politics, and Trump’s efforts to siphon off union voters from Biden will be closely watched as the next election cycle approaches.
