Rush for union vote intensifies as Trump meets with Teamsters

Former President Donald Trump met with the head of the Teamsters union Wednesday as the 2024 election heats up.

Mr. Trump’s discussion with the Teamsters president, Sean O’Brien, involved the needs and demands of union members, according to the labor leader.

“There are serious issues that need to be addressed to improve the lives of working people across the country, and the Teamsters union is making sure our members’ voices are heard as we head into a critical election year,” Mr. O’Brien said in a statement.

The union represents over a million workers in various industries from entertainment to transportation.

Mr. Trump echoed Mr. O’Brien’s sentiment in a Truth Social post where he said he was looking forward to any future conversations. He also committed to meeting with rank-and-file Teamsters members in a round table meeting later this month.

Wednesday’s meeting at an unspecified location sparked some outrage from the pro-union, anti-Trump crowd, with many expressing shock that the Teamsters would meet with the former president. Many others cheered on X that the union was able to work with any president.

The meeting comes at a historic moment of power for U.S. labor unions, leading prominent politicians to rush to curry favor with their leadership and members.

During the United Auto Workers strike last year, the two major presidential hopefuls, Mr. Trump and President Biden, held dueling rallies with autoworkers. Mr. Biden visited picketing UAW workers, while Mr. Trump visited nonunion autoworkers outside Detroit.

Unions like the Teamsters and UAW typically don’t support Republican candidates for president. However, Mr. Trump picked up significant support among blue-collar workers in the Midwest the past two elections. And as the margins in swing states shrink, the endorsement of a big union could go a long way.