Biden campaign hits Trump on UAW strike

President Biden’s reelection campaign is bashing former President Trump for his criticism of Biden administration policies that he said attacked American autoworkers ahead of the strike.

“Donald Trump will say literally anything to distract from his long record of breaking promises and failing America’s workers. Under Trump, autoworkers shuttered their doors and sent American jobs overseas. Under Trump, auto companies would have likely gone bankrupt, devastating the industry and upending millions of lives,” Ammar Moussa, spokesperson for Biden-Harris 2024, said in a statement first shared with The Hill.

The former president has argued — in an effort to get support from the union — that Biden administration policies that promote electric vehicles are attacks on the autoworkers. The union has not yet endorsed Biden in 2024, arguing in May that it has concerns over the White House’s focus on electric vehicles (EVs). Although, the union said it doesn’t plan to endorse Trump.

“President Biden is the most pro-union president in history, leading a renewed manufacturing boom, bringing hundreds of thousands of good-paying, union jobs back home. That’s because President Biden sees the world from assembly plant floors and kitchen tables, not penthouses on Park Avenue,” Moussa said.

Workers began their strike after three major automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union failed to reach an agreement by Thursday night’s strike deadline. Negotiations between the UAW and Ford, Stellantis and General Motors have been focused on pay increases, pensions and career security, and workers also have concerns about EVs and how a shift toward EVs could affect their jobs and pay.

“Stand strong against Biden’s vicious attack on American labor and American auto workers,” Trump said Wednesday. “And if you want more jobs, higher wages and soaring pensions, vote for President Trump and have your leaders endorse me. If they don’t, drop out of the Union and start a new one that’s going to protect your interests right.”

Meanwhile, the Biden campaign argued that “Trump was one of the most anti-union presidents in history” and shared that UAW President Shawn Fain said earlier this month that Trump is “not a person I want as my president” and that he’s “part of the billionaire class.”

The campaign also shared that Trump suggested in 2015 moving some car production from Michigan. Meanwhile, the campaign touted that Biden is leading an auto-factory boom and creating manufacturing jobs with legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.