Members of the United Auto Workers told CNN why an increasing number from their ranks is supporting Donald Trump for president.
Earlier this year, the UAW endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election. The union argued Biden is the right candidate because he stands with auto workers and understands the concerns of the working class.
‘Is their life better now than it was 10 years ago or worse? And for many, many working people, it’s worse.’
But that’s not true, according to some UAW members from Michigan who recently spoke with CNN anchor John King.
Chris Vitale, a worker at Chrysler, told King that he plans to defy the UAW’s presidential endorsement and vote for Trump. The reason? Out-of-touch Democrats and the electric-vehicle agenda.
“The government seems to be appeasing the coasts. You know, everyone who lives in Manhattan thinks everyone should drive an electric car,” Vitale said.
“I’ve watched this region go from the arsenal of democracy to now— we’re happy if we can get a sports stadium or we’re going to sell wheat or fireworks or whatever,” he said. “It’s absolutely pathetic what we have sunk to now. And our politicians — they’re good with it. [Trump] isn’t. So that’s the difference.”
Bob King, a former UAW president, told King that auto workers support Trump because of the economy.
“People feel like the government and the establishment hasn’t been delivered for them. Is their life better now than it was 10 years ago or worse? And for many, many working people, it’s worse. Their standard of living has deteriorated. In some cases, their communities have deteriorated,” Bob King said.
King also spoke with Walter Robinson Jr., a Ford worker who supports Biden. He estimated that 40% of his co-workers support Trump because of the economy.
“Gas prices are still pretty high. Food when you go to the grocery store, every time — it’s just me and my wife and it’s $200 every time I go to the grocery store,” Robinson said.
The latest polls show Michigan is a toss-up. Some polls have Biden up by one or two points, while others show Trump leading by one or two points.
What is not debatable, however, is the fact that Biden needs the Rust Belt — Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin — to win re-election. He won all of these states in 2020 en route to the White House.
But as the comments from these Michigan voters show, Biden could easily lose those states as Americans remember the state of the economy under Trump.
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