On Wednesday, President Biden showcased his approach of reaching out to union workers by portraying himself as more similar to them and less like ex-President Trump.
Twice in the past week, Biden has spoken to groups of union workers and used each opportunity to criticize Trump for his background in an effort to connect with this important group of voters on a personal level.
At the North America’s Building Trade Union (NABTU) National Legislative Conference on Wednesday, Biden mentioned, “We all know people like Trump who look down on us, right? We all know someone from our upbringing like that. It’s either Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values.”
Biden portrayed Trump as a bully to working class Americans, using words like “us” to include himself in the labor movement.
“A defeated former president who sees the world from Mar-a-Lago and bows down to billionaires, who looks down on American union workers. It’s not that he’s not supportive, he looks down on us,” he said.
“Think about the guys you grew up with who you’d like to get into the corner and just give them a straight lift. I’m not suggesting we hit the president,” he added to laughter. “But we all know those guys growing up.”
Last week, he told a conference for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), “my opponent learned the best way to get rich is [to] inherit it.”
On Wednesday, the NABTU backed Biden, and IBEW had already supported him before its conference.
This is part of Biden’s efforts to reconstruct the coalition that helped him win the White House in 2020, with a particular emphasis on union workers recently. He frequently claims to be the most pro-union president in history. Last year, he became the first president to join a picket line to strike with autoworkers.
On Wednesday, Biden told union workers that Trump inherited wealth. Trump notably began his business ventures with a $1 million loan from his father, Fred Trump, and he reportedly received at least $413 million from his father over time. reportedly received at least $413 million from his father over time.
“People like Donald Trump learned a different lesson. He learned the best way to get rich is inherited. He learned that paying taxes is something working people did, not him. That telling people you’re fired is something to laugh about. Not in my household, not in my neighborhood,” he said. “If you grew up where we grew up, nobody handed you anything.
Biden was referring to Trump’s well-known reality show “The Apprentice,” where he would dismiss contestants with his distinctive style in a boardroom.
Meanwhile, Biden portrayed himself as “Middle Class Joe,” a title he has used to describe himself throughout his long career in politics.
“The guy has never worked a day in a working man’s boots,” Biden said, referring to Trump. “By the way, you gave me a pair of boots … I know how to put them on. I still sometimes cut the yard. The Secret Service doesn’t let me do it anymore.”
However, in 2016 there was a significant shift in union support toward Republicans. That year, union households began to move from supporting the Democrats to the Republicans, contributing to Trump’s victory in states like Michigan. Biden won that state in 2020, but faces a new set of challenges there in 2024 with protest votes focused on his policy on Israel.
The Biden campaign in this election has put a lot of money and effort into states that could go either way and have a lot of union members, like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.
But recent surveys show Trump is ahead of Biden in these states. Trump is ahead of Biden by 6 points in six out of seven states – Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday. Biden was 2 points ahead of Trump in Michigan. a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll on Wednesday. He was ahead of Trump by 2 points in Michigan.
Biden has received support from several major union groups, including the United Auto Workers, the United Steelworkers, and the AFL-CIO.
The president thanked the NABTU for supporting him on Wednesday. The president of the group, Sean McGarvey, said on Wednesday that his union will not spend much time on Trump supporters. said Wednesday that his union will not “waste a lot of time” with supporters of Trump.
The president also praised unions for their efforts, mentioning that union workers are helping to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a deadly collapse. He often praises union workers for their contribution to the U.S., as well as for being a group that “brought him to the dance,” referring to their support for him in 2020 and during his time as a senator.
“That’s America, that’s the union movement,” he said.
He added another dig at Trump before finishing: “Folks, the choice is clear. Donald Trump’s vision of America is one of revenge and retribution.”
