Though current President Joe Biden aims to frame himself as blue-collar “Joe from Scranton,” former President Donald Trump is, to many in American industry, the real people’s president who is willing to look out for their lives and interests. Such could be seen in a recent interview between Fox News Channel’s Neil Cavuto and United Autoworkers (UAW) head Shawn Fein.
During the interview, Fein explained to Cavuto why a majority of UAW members are planning on voting for former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. Notably, Fein argued that the union members are going to “vote their paychecks” and see the economy as having being significantly better under Trump.
The discussion began with Cavuto discussing the electric vehicle problem with Mr. Fein, saying, “EV, electric vehicles, many automakers have said this has sort of been the bane of their existence that the market just isn’t there to support that what they call the ‘heavy hand of government’ to force the issue. Sure enough, we learned just a few minutes ago, Shawn after the bell ended for the day that Tesla shares are falling after the carmaker forecast slower growth because weak you know, EV sales are weaker than expected.”
Then, after introducing the EV issue, Cavuto asked Fein what he thinks about the push for EVs and whether the vehicles are a problem for America’s automakers. He asked, “Do you think that’s a problem for the automakers? You did? You’re quite where you scored this historic, a very generous labor package for your members, but that it’s imperiled by this industry push for EVs.”
Fein gave something of a non-answer, pointing to the need for a clean environment and implying that EVs will help accomplish that, but not addressing whether EVs are a problem for automakers. He said, “Look, you know, we have to have an environment we can all live in, where we can breathe clean air, and, you know, have clean water. You know, the UAW has always led the way in environmental concerns, going back to our founding. And, you know, wherever the industry goes, we’re going to be a part of it, our workers are going to be part of we’re going to fight for those jobs, and we’re going to fight for it to be a just transition, where it pays good wages, good benefits, so that people can afford to live off that job.”
Not letting him off the hook so easily, Cavuto asked if the environmental goals of Team Biden will hurt the pocketbooks of UAW members. He asked, “I guess that’s what I’m asking that it cost when the President doing so. But he has to juggle I understand, you know, the wishes of environmentalists and you’re in an environment mentally concerned union Chief, I get that, but that too much so and it could hurt your members going forward? Especially if these sales just languish?”
Responding, Fein told him, “I mean, you know, look, we still make ICE engines and ICE vehicles, and we’re in both markets. And, you know, however, this goes, we’re going to protect our workers. But, you know, you know, being concerned about, you know, there’s infrastructure that has to be put in place still, I mean, you know, all those things are being worked. I mean, as far as the timetable goes, you know, adjustments may have to be made. I mean, businesses always make adjustments when they launch new plants or create new businesses, they have a deadline target, and a lot of times those get moved. So you know, it’s just going to be a matter of how things develop and how the market goes.”
And that’s how politics came up. Building on the comments about automakers and how the government policies could be hurting them, Cavuto asked Fein how he feels about many UAW members supporting Trump. He said, “Union membership in the past was very strong for Ronald Reagan in both elections. George Bush Senior benefited from the union about many of your own members now, Shawn are very big Trump supporters, I don’t know the breakdown, you know, that part better than I, but that a good many of them are at Trump rallies and our bag enthusiast, how do you feel about that?”
Responding, Fein informed him that a majority of the UAW members won’t vote for Biden and are turning to Trump instead. He said, “Look, every that’s what makes us country, you know, the beacon for other countries. You know, it’s democracy and action. Look, let me be clear about this. A great majority of our members will not vote for president Biden, yes, some will. But that’s the reality of this. The majority of our members are going to vote their paychecks. They’re going to vote for an economy that works for them and they’re going to vote for a president. When you look at these two presidents, the choice is very clear about which one stands up with the working class and stands up for labor, and which one stands for the beginner class. And that’s his base.”
Watch that exchange here:
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