Former President Donald Trump met with Teamsters at their Washington headquarters Wednesday to curry favor with one of America’s biggest labor unions.
Mr. Trump emerged singing the praises of Teamsters leadership saying he has a “good shot” at the union’s endorsement.
“We had a very strong meeting with the Teamsters. Over the years, I’ve employed thousands and thousands of Teamsters and they’ve done a great job, especially in New York where we have a lot of unions,” he told reporters. “We’re with Sean O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman and they’re terrific people, great leaders, actually, and I think we had a very productive meeting.”
Mr. Trump said he could get the union’s endorsement despite unions typically backing Democratic candidates. He historically draws strong support from blue-collar union voters, though union leaders back Democrats.
“I mean, we have a good shot,” Mr. Trump said. “I think they like what I do. They never had a better four years than they did in the Trump administration. I can say that for a lot of businesses and a lot of people.”
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien also said the meeting went well. He said he was happy that rank-and-file workers had an opportunity to have their questions answered, including about pro-union Democratic legislation that Republicans typically oppose.
“Today’s dialogue was basically about putting our issues out on the table and letting people know, letting the candidates know how important these issues are. And this is what is going to determine an endorsement or non-endorsement,” Mr. O’Brien said.
He stressed the endorsement decision would be the “most important decision” during his tenure atop the Teamsters.
“The way we’re going to get it right is the inclusiveness and transparency of our 1.3 million rank-and-file members,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s attempts to snag the union nod stand in stark contrast to his main Republican rival Nikki Haley, who has been openly against unions. The Haley campaign on Wednesday said Mr. Trump’s union stance was aligned with President Biden.
“Donald Trump is looking more like Joe Biden every day,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Pere-Cubas said. “If Donald Trump agrees with the Teamsters on gutting right-to-work laws, pushing for amnesty, spending trillions of dollars, and funding liberal causes, then he should get on the debate stage and explain his liberal stances to Republican primary voters.”
Winning the endorsement of a large union like the Teamsters could help Mr. Trump in union-heavy battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada. All three states went to Mr. Biden in the 2020 election.
Mr. Trump won Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2016.
While the Teamsters have not supported a Republican for President since George H. W. Bush, it’s not out of the question in 2024. Mr. Trump has already met with the union twice now, and while President Biden has committed to a meeting with the Teamsters, Mr. O’Brien said he has not committed to a date.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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