As the business magnate is ready to sever the union’s backing from Democrats, former US President Donald Trump met with the leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Wednesday in an attempt to win their support.
Based on polls, Donald Trump seems to be the most likely Republican candidate to go on President Joe Biden in November of this year.
Days after he was denied the United Auto Workers’ endorsement—to which he vehemently reacted—he meets in Washington.
The Teamsters are very important in this context because they have been getting big contracts, and unions in the US have been growing.
Trump’s hold on the Republican presidential nomination has become more firm following his wins earlier this month in Iowa and New Hampshire.
The 77-year-old was unsure whether the Teamsters would support him during the meeting because they had backed Biden prior to the 2020 election.
Nonetheless, the former president asserted that he has substantial support from the union’s membership, stating that many of the 1.3 million members support his promise to apply tariffs on Chinese goods and to lessen the number of illegal immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border.
The first-ever ex-president to face criminal charges claimed, “I have a great relationship with unions; I’ve dealt with them my whole life.” “We had a very good discussion.”
The union has not yet declared its support.
The Trump team unveiled a series of commitments by the president two hours prior to the planned meeting, asserting that US workers will profit from his policies.
The president of the Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, described the meeting with Trump as “pleasant” and “direct,” but he also noted that “we’ve got a long way to go before we make a decision about an endorsement” and that questions for both Trump and Biden still needed to be answered.
The head of the union claimed that his rank-and-file members supported both Trump and Biden.
In a statement issued following Trump’s visit, the Biden team stated that “the President looks forward to meeting with the Teamsters and earning their endorsement.”
In 2020, Biden received the Teamsters’ endorsement and claims to be the most pro-union president in history.
Last Monday, the leadership of the United Auto Workers (UAW), a significant labor organization with around 380,000 members, gave Biden the much-needed endorsement.
