President Joe Biden tried Friday to strike a balance between advocating higher wages and better working conditions for United Auto Workers members while supporting the Big Three Detroit-based automakers.

General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and Stellantis have experienced "record profits" in recent years "because of the extraordinary skill and sacrifices the UAW workers," Biden said Friday at the White House. "Those record profits have not been shared fairly, in my view, with those workers."

UAW ANNOUNCES HISTORIC AUTO STRIKE AFTER NEGOTIATIONS WITH AUTOMAKERS FALTER

"Let's be clear: No one wants a strike. Say it again: No one wants a strike," he added. "But I respect the workers' right to use their options under the collective bargaining system, and I understand the workers' frustration."

Biden declined to answer questions regarding when he would become more involved in negotiations after he said he was sending senior adviser Gene Sperling and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to Detroit to help with discussions. Talks collapsed late Thursday as the UAW seeks a 36% pay rise and a return to traditional pensions, while the automakers want to be able to compete better with nonunion counterparts, such as Tesla.

Biden also did not answer questions concerning his son Hunter and whether the president would pardon him after he was indicted by special counsel David Weiss this week on three gun-related charges.

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"Auto workers help create America's middle class," he said. "They deserve a contract that sustains them and the middle class."

Auto workers at select Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio factories started to strike Friday amid no negotiations. UAW President Shawn Fain has previewed an escalation in actions, possibly to include all 150,000 union members, if the demands are not met.