Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said he put all his “cards on the table” in his meeting with former President Donald Trump this month.
On Wednesday, Mr. O’Brien told Fox’s Neil Cavuto that Mr. Trump reaffirmed his commitment to creating more jobs and being “pro-worker,” then pushed back on the former president’s record.
“He claimed he was, you know, 100%, supportive of unions,” Mr. O’Brien said. “But historically, obviously, take a look back and there’s certain issues that we have with him.”
The labor leader added that his union could work with any president to get the job done.
“We are going to be a conscience to any candidate, whether we support them or not, to remind them of what they said and what they are doing,” he said.
Mr. O’Brien said they discussed allegations that Mr. Trump failed to pay his former employees.
The Jan. 3 meeting came as the race to win favor among the country’s biggest unions heats up. It caused some friction among left-leaning union members who feel the Teamsters should support President Biden, who calls himself “the most pro-union president.” Mr. O’Brien said he would do his due diligence before his union endorses any candidate.
Mr. Trump is expected to meet with rank-and-file union members Wednesday.
The Trump-Teamsters meeting came just before the United Auto Workers announced it would endorse Mr. Biden.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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