President Joe Biden who addressed the United Autoworkers union at Belvidere, Illinois on Thursday used the platform to take aim at his predecessor Donald Trump.
What Happened: The two will likely face-off in the 2024 general election if the Trump manages to go past the legal hurdles and clinch the Republican nomination.
“When my predecessor was in office, six major factories closed across the country,” Biden said.
“Tens of thousands of auto jobs were lost nationwide,” he added.
The president also slammed Trump’s anti-electric vehicle stance. “He [Trump] was willing to cede the electric vehicle future to China,” he said.
“He [Trump] said if America invests in electric vehicles, it would drive down wages, destroy jobs, and spell the end of the American automobile industry,” Biden noted.
“Like almost everything else he said, he’s wrong.”
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Biden Lauds UAW’s Success: “UAW workers kept the picket line going for 46 days and in the end, a deal was reached that set a new standard,” said Biden in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The union was able to achieve over 30% increase in wages, bigger pay increases over the next four and a half years than the last 22 years combined, better retirement security, and more, he said.
“These deals are game-changing not only for UAW workers but all workers in America,” Biden said of the deal reached between the UAW and Detroit’s big three. He noted that only last week Toyota Motor Co. raised wages of its employees significantly at its U.S. plant.
Enroute to the event, Biden reportedly told reporters that he supports IAW’s unionization efforts at Tesla, Inc. and Toyota.
Is Biden Angling For UAW Endorsement: Biden reminded UAW workers that while Trump visited a non-union factory in Michigan in September, he joined a picket line with the striking workers, Reuters reported.
“I hope you guys have a memory,” the president said.
Union workers’ support in states like Michigan played a major role in Biden’s election in 2020 and would be a big factor in 2024 also, the Reuters report said.
Biden’s expression of solidarity with the union on Thursday was to showcase his pro-union credentials to the UAW, Reuters said. UAW’s Shawn Fain is yet to endorse any candidate so fat, although he refused to meet Trump in September, calling the former president as an “out-of-touch” billionaire who doesn’t have “any bit of care about what our workers stand for, what the working class stands for,” it added.
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