Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump is turning his attention to a crucial voting bloc for the Democratic Party – union workers. Trump, who lost support from the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the 2020 election, is now seeking their endorsement by promising to boost their business and fight against President Joe Biden’s policies that he claims are harming the auto industry. Trump’s appeal to union workers, especially in the Midwestern states he lost, will be closely watched as a potential factor in the 2024 presidential contest.
Donald Trump is courting one of the Democratic Party's most important voting blocs.
Trump is hoping to appeal to union voters, especially in the Midwestern states he lost in 2020, and has asked for an endorsement from the United Auto Workers.https://t.co/NfUbtHP2II
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 28, 2023
Trump had previously won support from union workers in states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, which ultimately helped him secure victory in 2016. However, Biden managed to regain their support in the 2020 election by emphasizing his working-class roots and adopting some of Trump’s policies. Despite Trump’s efforts, former Michigan Democratic Rep. Andy Levin, who is now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, dismissed the possibility of union workers siding with Trump again, saying, “Dream on.”
#Agenda47: Rescuing America’s Auto Industry from Joe Biden’s Disastrous Job-Killing Policies pic.twitter.com/l3W8oCTRCp
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 20, 2023
Levin acknowledges that Trump’s focus on manufacturing jobs and his implementation of trade tariffs resonated with union workers. However, Biden has maintained Trump’s tariffs and signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which Levin believes will retain support from union workers. Biden has already secured endorsements from more than a dozen unions and positions himself as the most pro-union president in history. Nonetheless, the voting patterns of union members often differ from those of union leadership.
According to Edison research, Biden secured 57% of union households’ votes in 2020, compared to Trump’s 40%. This was twice the margin of Hillary Clinton’s union support in 2016. Biden, aware of the significance of union support, has been visiting Rust Belt states frequently and has warned that manufacturing jobs are at risk if he doesn’t win re-election. The UAW is hesitant to endorse Trump due to concerns that electric vehicles will result in fewer jobs at auto plants. Trump, however, claims that he would fight harder for auto workers than Biden.
Despite the odds of UAW endorsing Trump being slim, Trump is courting their support because most other unions have already backed a Democratic candidate. The disconnect between union leadership and the votes of rank-and-file members has been a topic of discussion, with union members without college degrees leaning towards the Republican Party. Political analysts speculate that Trump’s appeal to these segments of the electorate is natural. While Biden seems to have the support of labor leadership, there has always been a gap between leaders and the union members themselves.
