Trump blasts one union boss, while another grabs applause
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Former President Trump in his acceptance speech Thursday night tore into the United Automobile Workers — calling for its president, Shawn Fain, to be fired. Just days earlier, a different union boss got a much warmer reception at the RNC.
Why it matters: The clashing speeches highlight tensions simmering in the Republican party as it pursues the votes of working-class Americans — and the mercurial nature of dealing with Trump, who's quick to insult those who don't bend the knee.
Catch up fast: In his speech Monday night, Teamsters president Sean O'Brien praised Trump and implored the Republican party to rethink its historically unfriendly stance toward unions, an effort seemingly bolstered by the ascension of a populist like Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) to the ticket.
- The Teamsters stand out as one of the only major unions that hasn't endorsed a presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, Fain's UAW has not only endorsed President Biden, but the union has been openly critical of Trump.
- So Thursday night, Trump seemingly got his retribution, calling for Fain to be "fired immediately," and saying that the union should be "ashamed" for "allowing" China to build factories in Mexico.
- Actually, the UAW has been fighting to reopen U.S. plants. The latest UAW contract saved a shuttered plant in Illinois.
What he's saying: "Every single autoworker, union and non-union, should be voting for Donald Trump because we're going to bring back car manufacturing, and we're going to bring it back fast," Trump said Thursday.
The other side: UAW wrote in a post to X Thursday night that Trump is "a scab and a billionaire and that's who he represents."
- It added: "We know which side we're on. Not his."
The big picture: Before Thursday night, observers wondered if O'Brien's speech and the growing populist wing of the GOP would actually translate into any action on labor policy in a future Trump administration.
The bottom line: Trump made a push for union votes by savaging one of labor's most respected leaders. The GOP's labor-friendly stance looks tricky to pull off.
Go deeper: Why a union boss addressed the Republican National Convention
