Former President Donald Trump met with the Teamsters Union on Wednesday to gain endorsements for President Joe Biden. The union endorsed Biden in the 2020 election and Biden’s campaign official said he looks forward to meeting with the Teamsters and earning their endorsement in this year’s election. The Biden campaign’s rapid response director, Ammar Moussa, criticized Trump for attacking unions and shipping jobs overseas while lining the pockets of his wealthy friends.
The Teamsters said the roundtable would be an opportunity for candidates to discuss how the next president and the group can work together to empower and protect workers, promote high labor standards, strengthen the American economy, and expand the middle class. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s rival for the GOP nomination, has been invited to meet with the group.
Trump is eyeing union members who tend to vote Democratic. The union also endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016. However, as the election draws nearer, O’Brien, the union’s president, said the group is open to lending Trump an ear in his effort to win it over.
The union’s members are essential to every trade industry in the country and don’t all fall into one political alignment. They want every candidate to know that there are 1.3 million Teamsters nationwide whose votes will not be taken for granted. Workers’ voices must be heard.
Despite Trump’s move to meet with the Teamsters and garner union support, Biden has already earned endorsements from a handful of unions for the 2024 race, including the United Auto Workers last week.
