1 of 4 Biden demonstrates picketing the automotive sector, on September 26, 2023 Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Portal 2 of 4 Joe Biden during a picket line of strikers on September 26, 2023 Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Portal 3 of 4 Joe Biden visits strikers in the automotive industry on September 26, 2023 Photo: Jim Watson/AFP 4 of 4 Biden visits auto industry strikers in Bellville, Michigan on September 26, 2023 Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Portal
This is the first time a US president has visited strikers
President Joe Biden visited striking workers in the automotive industry this Tuesday (26) in the city of Bellville, in the US state of Michigan, the birthplace of this industry.
He was the first sitting US president to visit strikers and take part in a strike demonstration. Auto workers do a historic strike in which employees from three major companies in the industry take part: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
“It is a very important support because she believes in what we are fighting for. That makes me proud,” said one of the workers, Patrick Small.
In his opinion, the UAW industry union should support the president in next year’s elections.
Last week, Biden and President Lula (PT) defended the creation of rules for application workers. The two met in the USA. Watch the video below.
Lula and Biden launch joint program to protect labor rights
Trump should also visit strikers
Visiting the site on Tuesday, Biden gained an advantage over former President Donald Trump, who was scheduled to travel to the same state on Wednesday to campaign among workers. Both are already running for next year’s US presidential election.
Trump announced his trip before Biden and now claims the president is copying it. His spokesman Jason Miller said Biden’s visit was “a photo op.”
The White House denies that Trump’s idea influenced the president’s decision.
The challenge for Biden is to prove that he is the defender of workers, unions and the architect of the resurgence of American industry.
“His trip will show that he is the most prounion president in US history,” his spokeswoman Karine JeanPierre said Monday.
The trip poses risks for the 80yearold president, who receives questions about his physical condition on every trip.
Conflicts between workers and employers in this key industry could impact the U.S. economy.
Biden said automakers should benefit their employees by posting “record profits.”
“We are not involved in negotiations” between the union and the company, his spokeswoman said when asked whether the president would side with either party.
Biden has made union support a central feature of his presidency. The UAW union’s support for his candidacy in 2020 was crucial for the state of Michigan to vote for him after voting for Trump in 2016.
The Democratic government is one of the driving forces behind the automotive industry’s historic shift toward electric vehicles.
“When he walks slowly and acts like he’s on a picket line, remember he wants to send your jobs to China,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
Trump needs the votes of workers in key states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which he won in 2016. Tomorrow, according to his campaign team, the Republican will speak in front of an auto parts factory in Clinton Township, Michigan, about 60 kilometers from where Biden will be this Tuesday.