Former President Donald Trump is looking to poach a key group from President Joe Biden's supporters as he eyes a rematch in 2024.
Trump released a video on Thursday, calling directly on the United Auto Workers union to endorse him for president over Biden, who they endorsed in 2020. In his address, Trump denounced restrictions on cars through green policies and pledged more trade protection. He also portrayed the Biden administration's stress on and subsidy of electric cars as an existential threat to the auto industry.
WHO WAS THE REAL J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER?
#Agenda47: Rescuing America’s Auto Industry from Joe Biden’s Disastrous Job-Killing Policies pic.twitter.com/l3W8oCTRCp
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 20, 2023
"Joe Biden is waging war in the U.S. auto industry with a series of crippling mandates designed to force Americans into expensive electric cars, that's just what you want," Trump said. "This ridiculous Green New Deal crusade is causing car prices to skyrocket while setting the stage for the destruction of American auto production. These extreme left-wing policies are a disaster for families and consumers and are one of the main reasons the average cost of a new car is now over $50,000. Absolutely outrageous, and there's never been such a price before."
He further claimed that Biden is "killing U.S. manufacturing in an all-out attack on American-made pickup trucks, SUVs, and other automobiles."
"I hope the United Auto Workers is listening to this because I think you'd better endorse Trump because I'm going to grow your business and they are destroying your business," the former president said in a direct appeal to the UAW.
He warned that if Biden were to win reelection, U.S. auto production would be "totally dead," but if he gets back into office he would "save" the industry.
The UAW surprised many when it declined to endorse Biden immediately following his reelection campaign launch in April, pointing to his subsidies of electric vehicles as threatening their livelihoods.
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“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in May. “The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom. We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments.”
Biden is still jockeying for the union's support, even hosting Fain at an unscheduled meeting at the White House on Wednesday, though the main topic of discussion was a looming strike.