Biden gets support from building trades workers in new union endorsement
President Joe Biden secured a valuable endorsement from North America’s Building Trades Unions during a spirited event aimed at dismantling former President Donald Trump’s reputation as a successful real estate developer. The organization’s president, Sean McGarvey, minced no words when he stated, “Donald Trump is incapable of running anything,” and expressed grave concern about the possibility of Trump seeking the White House again.
The event, held amidst a lively crowd of union members at a Washington hotel ballroom, was a significant move in the ongoing battle to win over blue-collar workers. Trump has been attempting to erode the Democratic Party’s stronghold with organized labor, while Biden has been actively collecting endorsements and pushing back against Trump’s resurgence.
Biden seized the opportunity to praise unions for potentially assisting him in making Trump a “loser again,” while also taking jabs at Trump’s ineffectiveness in passing infrastructure legislation during his presidency, emphasizing that “he never built a damn thing.”
Throughout the event, the Democratic president consistently criticized his probable Republican opponent as a heartless businessman who trivialized firing people for entertainment on his reality TV show, “The Apprentice.” He remarked, “He looks down on us. I’m not joking. Think about it. Think about the guys you grew up with that you’d like to get in the corner and just give him a straight left. I’m not suggesting you hit the president. But we all know those guys growing up.”
Biden strategically visited his childhood hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to connect with voters and has increasingly utilized economic arguments to paint Trump as disconnected from the concerns of working-class Americans. He framed the upcoming election as a choice between “Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values.”
This endorsement further bolsters Biden’s significant backing from unions, following endorsements from the United Auto Workers earlier this year and the United Steelworkers Union in March. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not provide an immediate comment, although Trump has been actively seeking support from organized labor, including engaging with the Teamsters.
Addressing his appeal to white working-class voters, Trump mentioned, “Usually a Republican wouldn’t get that endorsement. But in my case, it’s different because I’ve employed thousands of Teamsters and I thought we should come over and pay our respects.” Democrats have been grappling with Trump’s popularity among this demographic but remain determined to overcome this challenge.
In response to the endorsement, McGarvey pledged “an unprecedented field program in key battleground states” to help block Trump’s return to the White House this year. The battle for union support continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the political landscape as both Biden and Trump vie for the crucial backing of blue-collar workers.
