United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain and GOP candidate Donald Trump traded insults following the union’s official endorsement of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign last week.
In a post on social media platform Truth Social, a company he owns, Trump urged the UAW to dismiss its leader while promoting his own campaign. “Shawn Fain doesn’t understand this or have a clue. Get rid of this dope & vote for DJT. I will bring the Automobile Industry back to our Country.”
The former president’s social media commentary came on the same day that Fain appeared on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” where he reaffirmed the union’s decision to endorse Biden and expressed incredulity at the thought of supporting the Trump campaign. “Donald Trump has a history of serving himself and standing for the billionaire class, and that’s contrary to everything that working-class people stand for,” remarked the UAW chief, adding that he “can’t fathom any union supporting Trump.”
During the labor organization’s official endorsement announcement on January 24, Fain said that Biden had “earned” the support of the UAW and called Trump a “scab,” a term used by labor organizations to describe workers hired to replace striking union members. “Donald Trump stands against everything we stand for as a union, as a society,” Fain continued. “It’s not about who you like, your party…It’s not about anything but our best shot at taking back power for the working class.” Appearing alongside the UAW chief, Biden expressed delight at gaining the union’s official support. “I have kept my promise to be the most pro-union president in history, and I want to express my gratitude for having your support,” he commented.
In late 2023, both candidates initially planned to make their way to the site of the union’s strike during the months-long negotiations between UAW leaders and Detroit-Three executives. Biden did appear and was joined by Fain during his comments to attendees, marking the first time a sitting president joined striking employees at the picket line. Despite planning to make his own appearance alongside striking workers one day after Biden’s, Trump instead arrived at a non-union plant to make his statements, where he criticized his political opponent’s electric vehicle policies.
