The Detroit News reported earlier this week that several people wearing “Auto Workers for Trump” T-shirts at a Donald Trump campaign event in Michigan were not actually auto workers.
The report didn’t seem to surprise Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union.
“It’s pathetic. Everything he does is a con,” Fain said Thursday, referencing Trump.
The UAW, which is based in the crucial swing state of Michigan, has endorsed Harris, and its leader Fain has become one of Trump’s most fiery critics. Fain was speaking on a call hosted by the Kamala Harris campaign ahead of Trump’s scheduled address to the Detroit Economic Club.
“There is a stark contrast between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris,” he said. “Kamala Harris has stood with labor. She’s walked the walk. Donald Trump serves himself. He’s always served himself.”
It’s pathetic. Everything he does is a con.Shawn Fain on Donald Trump
Most major unions have lined up behind Harris and plan to help the Democratic nominee’s get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of Election Day. However, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced last month that it would not make an endorsement, citing membership polls showing more support for Trump among its rank and file.
Like the Teamsters, the UAW makes its endorsement (or non-endorsement) through a vote by its executive board, rather than a vote by its membership.
Asked about the Teamsters’ decision to stay out of the race, Fain said he believed he had “a responsibility as a leader” to take a stand against Trump, noting the former president’s patently anti-union record while in office. He didn’t deny a significant share of the union’s members would support Trump.
Quoting legendary UAW leader Walter Reuther, Fain said there was a correlation between the “ballot box” and the “bread box,” and argued that gains unions and workers have made could be lost if Trump wins the presidency.
“What we bargain at the bargaining table can be taken away,” he said, noting that anti-union officials appointed by Trump made it more difficult for workers to organize.
Fain accused Trump of trying to “divide” the union during its historic strike against the Big Three automakers last year. He also took a shot at the Republican nominee for praising his supporter Elon Musk as the type of boss who would fire striking workers, which is generally illegal.
The latter was a reference to a chat Trump had with the X owner on the social media platform in August. The UAW filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the remarks, alleging Trump and Musk were trying to intimidate workers.
“He sits there and applauds Elon Musk for trying to fire striking workers, and they laugh about that,” Fain said. “And that’s why I said Donald Trump is a scab.”
The “Auto Workers for Trump” group is real, founded by a retired auto worker named Brian Pannebecker. But that doesn’t mean all rallygoers wearing the shirts have actually worked in an auto factory.
The Detroit News reported there were “more than a dozen” people wearing the T-shirts at an event headlined by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in Detroit on Tuesday. But six of them told the outlet they aren’t auto workers themselves. Two said Pannebecker had given them the shirts.
During the UAW work stoppage last year, many media outlets reported that Trump would be addressing striking workers in Michigan. In reality, he was giving a speech at a small, non-union auto parts manufacturer.
