By In January, PBS noted that Donald Trump “participated in a roundtable with the union’s executive board, its president and members as he works to win over the blue-collar workers who helped fuel his 2016 victory and who are expected to play a major role in November, particularly in critical Midwestern swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
Speaking to reporters after what he called ‘a very productive meeting,’ Trump acknowledged the union typically backs Democrats, but said of a possible endorsement, “Stranger things have happened.”
‘Usually a Republican wouldn’t get that endorsement,’ he said. ‘But in my case it’s different because I’ve employed thousands of Teamsters and I thought we should come over and pay our respects.’
‘As you know, a big part of the voting bloc votes for me.'”
Now, it appears that Trump’s hard work is paying off. The Hill writes that a new, devastating poll of Teamsters members has revealed that Kamala Harris may be losing support from one group of people she can’t afford—unions.
More than half of Teamsters members back former President Trump in the upcoming election over Vice President Harris, according to a poll of members as the group’s leadership weighs an endorsement.
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on that promise to our members,” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said in a statement.
“Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions must be at the forefront of everything the Teamsters do,” he continued. “Our final decision around a possible Presidential endorsement will not be made lightly, but you can be sure it will be driven directly by our diverse membership.”
The latest poll showed a significant shift among membership since President Biden ended his candidacy in late July. A poll conducted from April 9-July 3 of members found Biden had the support of 44 percent of members, compared to 36 percent who backed Trump.
TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
Earlier in the week, Kamala Harris finally met with Teamster leadership, but did not walk away with the endorsement. Now we know why. The only way to describe the poll is to call it a disaster for the Democrats.
Following the poll, the Teamsters announced that they will not be endorsing anyone for president.
“The General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Wednesday elected not to endorse any candidate for U.S. President.
After reviewing six months of nationwide member polling and wrapping up nearly a year of rank-and-file roundtable interviews with all major candidates for the presidency, the union was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee.”
The statement also revealed how biased union leadership still is for Democrats and proved that Harris couldn’t win the backing with the lowest possible standard set for her. The General Executive Board wrote that “the union’s extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump.”
An endorsement for the Democrat only needed a majority support, the Republican? It needed to be “universal.”
The vice president made history by failing to receive the endorsement.
Kamala is the first Dem POTUS candidate since Michael Dukakis (1988) to fail to earn the Teamsters’ endorsement https://t.co/bThpXsfXAg
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) September 18, 2024
In 2016, union households proved decisive in the key battleground states that led to Donald Trump’s victory.
Politico noted, “Harris’ vastly worse performance among membership also raises questions about whether other blue-collar unions harbor similar reservations about her within their ranks, despite their organizations’ endorsement of her.
O’Brien has faced push back from some Democrats and others in organized labor over how the Teamsters has handled the endorsement process, including inviting Trump as well as other GOP and independent candidates to roundtables held at the union’s headquarters in D.C.
He has repeatedly defended his approach by saying it is important to incorporate the rank-and-file, rather than imposing a decision from the top.”
[Read More: Voters Getting Tired Of Harris Prevaricating All The Time]
