Teamsters Union Makes First Major GOP Donation Since 2004 Following Trump Meeting
Weeks after a meeting between former President Donald Trump and Teamsters Union leaders, including President Sean O'Brien and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, along with the union's executive board at their Washington, DC headquarters, America's most powerful labor union has made the first major donation to Republicans in two decades. This move has sparked huge concern that unions are losing faith in President Biden, lauded as the most pro-union president ever.
According to Axios, the Teamsters' political committee donated $45,000, the maximum amount permitted, to the Republican National Committee. This was the first 'big' donation the union has made to the RNC since 2004.
This comes after Trump attended a meeting with the heads of Teamsters last month. After the meeting, Trump told reporters: "We had a very strong meeting with the Teamsters." He added there was a very strong possibility that he would get their endorsement.
"Usually, a Republican wouldn't get that endorsement," Trump continued, adding he was in a greater position than other Republicans and that the union "never had ... a better four years than they had during the Trump administration."
Trump: We’re waiting because the Teamsters haven't endorsed a Republican in many, many years, and they're having a hard time with this. How do they endorse a man who's a low iq individual? pic.twitter.com/XaTUvM6RjP
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 18, 2024
Before January, Teamsters in Dec. 2023 donated $135,000 to the Democratic National Committee. The DNC also received $15,000 from the union in March 2023.
Teamsters represent about 1.3 million UPS and other transportation workers. Despite many other unions having already endorsed Biden, Teamsters has yet to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump's and Biden's campaigns are locked in a fight to win over blue-collar workers in crucial swing states ahead of the November elections. Biden has frequently touted his strong ties with labor unions. However, the president's failed economic policies, known as 'Bidenomics,' have crushed the working class under the weight of inflation.
Are blue-collar unionized voters finally waking up to just how much of a disaster Bidenomics has been over Biden's first term?