By Allende Miglietta
BALTIMORE (Reuters) – United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain criticized Donald Trump’s U.S. presidential candidacy on Friday and praised President Joe Biden without ever using his name or repeating the union’s endorsement in January for his re-election this fall.
“It’s clear that Donald Trump in the White House would be a complete disaster for the working class,” Fain said at the Netroots Nation conference in Baltimore. Fain criticized Trump by name several times during his 16-minute speech that focused on the working class.
Fain then praised Biden without naming the president whose shaky performance in a debate last month prompted some fellow Democrats to call on him to drop his reelection bid.
“We have a president in the White House who wants to rally with the working class, and with this president we have made incredible progress over the last three and a half years,” Fain said.
The UAW’s support for Biden came into question after Reuters reported, citing sources, that the union’s board of directors met late Thursday to discuss concerns about Biden’s ability to defeat Trump in the November election.
The sources said the UAW was considering next steps, but another source familiar with the union’s thinking said withdrawing support for Biden is not being considered.
Fain and the UAW, which endorsed Biden in January, are key allies of the president and are expected to play a crucial role as Biden campaigns to win key swing states, including Michigan, where the UAW is based and many of its members live and work.
Asked at a Thursday evening news conference about the UAW’s reported concerns, Biden said the union had supported him as president.
Biden and Trump have both made several appearances in Michigan to woo voters, especially union workers employed by U.S. automakers such as Ford Motor (NYSE:), General Motors (NYSE:) and Jeep maker Stellantis (NYSE:).
For nearly two weeks, the 81-year-old Biden has tried to stem the defections of Democratic lawmakers, donors and other allies because he feared he would lose to the 78-year-old Trump.
On Wednesday, Biden met with the executive council of the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of American labor unions, to shore up support. Fain attended and the AFL-CIO Executive Council unanimously reaffirmed its commitment to re-elect Biden.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said Friday that America’s unions were united behind Biden, adding that the president is walking the picket line with workers as Trump crosses them.
“We stand strongly with President Biden and Vice President Harris because they stand strongly with us,” she told reporters on Air Force One. “I think UAW members know the difference between these two candidates.”
Fain and the UAW endorsed Biden in January after the president joined a union picket last year during a six-week autoworkers strike that resulted in historic pay increases for workers at the Detroit Three automakers. Biden was the first American president to walk with striking workers.
Biden, who has characterized himself as the most pro-union president in American history, has recently leaned on labor leaders to drum up support.
