Former President Donald Trump’s invitation to Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention next month did not go over well with some conservative groups.
The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, a conservative-leaning group that opposes forced membership in unions, said putting Mr. O’Brien on stage would give “credibility to a dangerous policy agenda.”
“The Teamsters, and specifically their president, have routinely pursued policies that would harm American workers, Main Street businesses, and the economy at large. O’Brien’s policy priorities include forcing union membership on workers and destroying businesses if they do not cave to his demands,” Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Chair Kristen Swearingen said in a statement.
Mr. Trump announced on his Truth Social account last week that Mr. O’Brien had “accepted my invitation to speak at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee.”
Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz said on Friday that Mr. O’Brien had requested to speak at both the Republican and Democratic conventions, and he accepted Mr. Trump’s invite, making him the first Teamsters president to speak at the RNC.
“The RNC and former President Trump should reconsider their invitation,” Ms. Swearingen said.
She called the union’s spending “one-sided” and said it has spent millions “supporting Democratic candidates and an anti-business, anti-worker agenda,” even though Teamsters’ members are just as likely to identify as Republican as they are Democrat.
In response to the coalition’s statement, Ms. Deniz said, “A growing number of leaders in the Republican party are uncomfortable with the grip that corporatists — like those who fund the far-right Coalition — have on the American political system. This terrifies the Coalition. If they really supported democracy, they wouldn’t be so afraid of other voices in the room.”
Unions historically have supported Democratic candidates, but Mr. Trump has made it a point to court Teamsters and other union workers. Grabbing the support of blue-collar workers could decide the presidential race in battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The Washington Times has reached out to the Teamsters and RNC for comment.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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