Donald Trump has launched a verbal attack on United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain, calling him a “stupid person.” During a media interview, Trump said the car manufacturing industry would be one of his top priorities if he wins the election in November. He said he is confident auto workers will vote for him because their industry would disappear under a Kamala Harris administration.
The former President stated that he would ensure that cars are made in America by American staff, whether union or non-union. He added that UAW members would vote for him despite being led by a “stupid person.”
Last September, immediately before Trump was due to visit Detroit in the hopes of winning over union members, Mr. Fain wrote an email to affiliates stating that Donald Trump was a representative of the billionaire class whom he would continue to enrich at workers’ expense. “We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires who don’t have any understanding of what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck,” he wrote.
More recently, Fain spoke to reporters and repeated his view that Trump stands only for the very wealthy and has done nothing to support working-class people. He accused Mr. Trump of trying to “pander” to unions when convenient for him but disappearing when unions need support. He also accused Trump of name-calling over policy, saying, “He never has any solutions.”
Meanwhile, a hospitality workers’ union has endorsed Kamala Harris, and unions reportedly celebrated the Vice President’s choice of running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The UAW was among the organizations to praise Mr. Walz, saying he has a long history of delivering for working-class Americans and has stood side by side with striking workers on picket lines. United Steelworkers expressed similar sentiments, saying Harris “couldn’t have chosen a stronger champion of workers to be her running mate.”
Analysts say the choice will also strengthen Harris’s promise to improve childcare access and introduce pro-family policies. In Minnesota, Governor Walz introduced paid leave for workers caring for a newborn or sick family member and 12 weeks of paid leave for workers recovering from serious illnesses.
