A few days ago, Politico quoted an unnamed national Democratic strategist who was frustrated that former president Donald Trump had announced he would be addressing the striking United Auto Workers, and Biden had not.
There are many unknowns about Trump’s visit to Michigan, including where he will speak and whether he will show up to the picket line as well. But his decision to go in the first place startled some Democrats.
“Trump scooped us. Now if we announce we’re going, it looks like we’re just going because of Trump,” said a national Democratic strategist. “We waited too long. That’s the challenge.”
Unsurprisingly, the Biden team vehemently denied that assessment and argued that union members were still a pro-Biden crowd. According to the 2020 exit polls, union households in Michigan preferred Biden over Trump, 62 percent to 37 percent. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won these voters in Michigan, 53 percent to 40 percent. Nationwide, Clinton won union household voters by just eight points, leaving union leaders grappling for answers. There’s been a consistent pattern of union leadership effusively praising Biden, and the rank-and-file being a little more tempted to vote for Trump.
It now sounds like the United Auto Workers would like to hear from Biden.
Shawn Fain, the United Automobile Workers president, escalated pressure on the White House on Friday with a public invitation to President Biden to join workers on the picket lines in their growing strike against the nation’s leading automakers.
“We invite and encourage everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket lines, from our friends and family all the way to the president of the United States,” Mr. Fain said in a speech streamed online.
Biden is in a tough spot. He can go to the picket lines or address the UAW, but, indeed, some people will wonder if his appearance is just to play catch-up with Trump. But if Biden doesn’t go, it would amount to a de facto rejection of the UAW invitation. Biden and his team could justifiably argue that plenty of past presidents have supported workers without traveling to speak to them directly. But Biden loves to tout himself as the “most pro-union president in American history.” The UAW can reasonably ask, if you’re so supportive of us, why won’t you come?