
With national attention drawn toward the United Auto Workers amid their strike, and as 75% of Americans back them in their negotiations, according to Gallup polling published in August, the 2024 presidential front-runners are increasingly angling to boost their ties to workers.
Donald Trump plans to skip the second Republican presidential debate on Wednesday to instead court unionized employees with remarks outside Detroit. President Joe Biden joined the picket line in Michigan just a day before.
A sitting president attending a strike is without precedent in modern history, and while the White House insists that shouldn't signal Biden is inserting himself in the ongoing talks, administration officials also say it reflects his continued support for workers.
On the picket line on Tuesday afternoon, Biden took control of a bullhorn to express his support for the striking auto workers.
Biden, wearing a UAW black baseball cap, told the workers to "stick with it" because they "deserve a significant raise" and "other benefits."