Former US President and 2024 Presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the CWA (Concerned Women for America) Summit 2023 in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023.
Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump is planning to visit Detroit next week to engage with current and former union members instead of participating in the Republican primary debate, according to his campaign’s statement to CNBC on Monday.
A campaign spokesman confirmed reports from The New York Times, revealing that Trump, the clear frontrunner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, intends to counterprogram the second primary debate as his rivals strive to catch up to him.
The former president’s travel plans were revealed shortly after thousands of United Auto Workers members went on strike at three major plants due to the failure to reach a deal between the union and Detroit carmakers.
A campaign source specified that Trump aims to address a crowd of over 500 present and former union members, including not only autoworkers but also plumbers, pipefitters, and electricians.
However, the autoworkers’ union itself strongly reacted to the news of Trump’s latest campaign strategy.
“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that benefits people like Donald Trump while workers suffer,” stated UAW President Shawn Fain, in a statement shared with CNBC.
Fain’s statement continued, “We can’t continue electing billionaires and millionaires who have no understanding of what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to make ends meet, and expect them to solve the problems of the working class.”
Fain has previously expressed that a second Trump term in the White House would be catastrophic.
Trump’s expected absence from the upcoming debate, scheduled for September 27 at the Reagan Library in California, did not come as a significant surprise. He had skipped the first primary debate last month, choosing to instead participate in a pre-taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which aired simultaneously with the debate.
This plan to undermine the second debate demonstrates Trump’s disregard for his GOP rivals, instead focusing on positioning himself for a potential general election rematch against incumbent President Joe Biden, a vocal advocate for U.S. labor unions.
In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that aired on Sunday, Trump criticized the leadership of UAW for failing its members while simultaneously urging the union to endorse him.
Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker, “The autoworkers are being sold out by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump.”
Trump’s public statements about the strike have mostly revolved around electric vehicles, a priority of the Biden administration that Trump argues will harm the U.S. auto industry and empower China.
While the autoworkers’ primary demands are centered around obtaining fair and equitable compensation, Trump’s attempt to center the dispute around EVs highlights how the shift away from gas-powered cars has become a political divisive issue.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s main Republican rival, has rejected bipartisan pro-EV legislation in his state and declared in a recent op-ed his commitment to “preserve the American automobile.”
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