Biden's Reputation as an Ally of Labor Unions Just Took a Major Hit

Matt Vespa | June 21, 2024 9:30 PM

Joe Biden has often touted himself as labor’s best friend, one of the biggest voices for their interests on the Hill. And yet, the president of the United Auto Workers union admitted in January that “a great majority of our members will not vote for President Biden." There’s another labor union that could be very soft on their support for the president, and it’s a major one: the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. President Sean O’Brien agreed to speak at the Republican National Convention this summer (via NY Post):

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain: "Let me be clear about this — a great majority of our members will NOT vote for President Biden." pic.twitter.com/l8cqPmGf8T
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 25, 2024

Former President Donald Trump boasted Friday that Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien has accepted his invitation to speak at next month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
It’s a big get for Trump, who is edging ahead of President Biden in polling with groups that have traditionally backed Democrats for decades, including union members
One survey this year found Biden and Trump tied at 47% among union members in the six closest swing states Biden won in 2020, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
[…]
Talking to Fox Business Network host Neil Cavuto … O’Brien declined to endorse Joe Biden for president.
Trump announced O’Brien’s acceptance on Truth Social.
His campaign’s follow-up email noted “President Trump participated in a roundtable discussion with Teamsters President O’Brien, Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, the union’s executive board, and rank-and-file members” in January, which “O’Brien described as ‘an in-depth and productive discussion on worker issues most important to the Teamsters Union.’”

It's a development that marks Biden’s remarkable weakness among his core voter groups. The Obama coalition appears to have vanished, with young people remarkably unenthused about this election and union support fracturing. Black voters under 50 have fled Democrats in ways that should force the president’s team to wonder whether Biden, with all these vulnerabilities and a dismal approval rating, could pull a re-election effort. It’s why FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver wondered if Biden should outright quit now, which angered liberals. CNN’s Harry Enten was aghast at Biden’s dip with black voters, adding that he doesn’t see anything that could reverse this trend in the foreseeable future. Trump is on pace to have a historic performance with black voters. Will the same be true with labor unions?