United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain called Kamala Harris a “fighter” for the working class and denounced former President Donald Trump as a “scab,” a term that applies to workers who cross picket lines and defy union actions, during his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday.
“It’s getting hot in here, folks,” Fain said, referencing a song by the rapper Nelly, before removing his suit jacket to show a T-shirt that read “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris.”
Fain’s remarks led to chants of “Trump’s a scab” by the crowd at the Democratic convention.
Republicans claimed no one was at the DNC. Here is the fully packed stadium all chanting “Trump’s a scab!”
Trump can’t be very happy right now. I’m sure the walls of Mar-a-Lago are covered in ketchup. pic.twitter.com/ibLPzv11uR
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) August 20, 2024
Fain said the former president failed to intervene to revive the U.S. auto industry and did nothing to prevent auto plants from closing. He called Vice President Kamala Harris “one of us.”
The controversy stems from comments Trump made during a two-hour interview on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. In the interview, Trump praised Musk’s handling of the 2022 Twitter staff overhaul, when Musk took control of the company, since rebranded as X, and swiftly fired a large number of employees.
“You walk in, you say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike. That’s okay, you’re all gone. You’re all gone,” Trump remarked. The UAW quickly condemned these statements, asserting that they violate federal labor laws that protect workers’ rights to strike without fear of retaliation.
“When we call Donald Trump a scab, this is what we mean,” the UAW posted on X, accusing the Republican of betraying the very workers he claims to support.
“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean,” said UAW President Shawn Fain.
— UAW (@UAW) August 13, 2024
Trump had previously tried to secure the endorsement of the influential union for his 2024 campaign, including giving a speech to striking union workers last September rather than participating in the second Republican primary debate.
However, Trump’s feud with union leader Fain has made this difficult. Trump has labeled Fain an idiot, accusing him of jeopardizing autoworkers’ jobs by supporting electric vehicles, and has even called for Fain to be “fired immediately,” claiming that China is building factories in Mexico to sell cars in the U.S.
Although the UAW has members across the nation, many auto-making jobs are concentrated in Michigan, a key swing state that could decide the election.
The UAW, which represents more than 400,000 autoworkers, has already endorsed Harris. However, another major U.S. labor union, the Teamsters, has yet to make an endorsement.
The backing of the UAW could be crucial for Democrats seeking to erode Trump’s strong support among white voters without college degrees who identify as blue-collar.
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