The head of the United Auto Workers (UAW) tore into former President Trump and rallied support for Vice President Harris in Detroit on Wednesday in front of a crowd of thousands.
Shawn Fain, who has sparred with Trump for months, blasted the former president as a “scab” who “doesn’t know s‑‑‑ about the auto industry.” He called on working-class Americans to back Harris, citing her record of supporting striking workers and taking on corporations.
“To me, this election’s real simple. It’s about one question. It’s a question we’ve made famous in the labor movement. Which side are you on?” Fain said at a Harris campaign event that took place in an airplane hangar.
“And this is a simple question in this election, because on one side you’ve got a billionaire that serves himself and his billionaire buddies. He lies, he cheats and he steals his way to the top. He’s a lap dog for the billionaire class,” Fain said. “And on the other side we’ve got a strong, intelligent, and — I’m just gonna put it bluntly — a bada‑‑ woman … who stood on the picket line with striking workers.”
Fain praised Harris as a leader who has taken on corporate greed as a prosecutor and as a “champion for the working class.” And he embraced her choice of running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who Fain had lobbied for as one of his top choices when Harris was deliberating.
Fain noted that Ford and General Motors saw auto plants close during the Trump administration in Ohio, Baltimore and elsewhere. He contrasted that with Harris, who joined striking UAW workers on the picket line in 2019.
The UAW previously endorsed President Biden, who has touted himself as the most pro-union president in history. The group last week backed Harris, who quickly consolidated Democratic support to become the party’s nominee after Biden announced he would not seek reelection.
Trump and Fain have traded attacks for months, with the former president calling the UAW leader “stupid,” a “dope” and a “stiff” and suggested union members would back him in November.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the industry’s shift toward electric vehicles, which has been incentivized by the Biden administration as it seeks to address climate change while creating additional manufacturing jobs.
However, the former president last weekend told supporters at a rally he has “no choice” but to support electric cars because he was endorsed by Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Union workers could play a key role in Michigan, the home of the U.S. auto industry. Michigan broke from decades of steady Democratic support to elect Trump in 2016 before Biden flipped the state back in 2020.
