Sean O’Brien, president of the International Teamsters fraternal union, is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Committee (RNC) convention in Milwaukee.
“When I return to the White House, hardworking Teamsters and all working Americans will once again have a country they can afford to live in and are respected around the world,” former President Trump said. I wrote in the post At Truth Social.
A Teamsters spokesman confirmed that O’Brien will speak at the Republican National Convention.
“This is truly unprecedented because this is the first time a Teamsters president has spoken at the Republican National Convention,” said Kara Dennis, the Teamsters’ deputy director of communications.
The move calls into question Biden’s historic alliance with labor unions and threatens to undermine his claim to be the most pro-union president in history. Biden became the first sitting president to visit picket lines during United Auto Workers strikes against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis last fall.
The union endorsed Biden in January, and UAW President Sean Fain criticized Trump in a statement.
“The choice is clear: Joe Biden has bet on the American worker, and Donald Trump has slammed the American worker,” Fain said at the time. “We need to know who’s going to sit in the most powerful seat in the world and help us win as a united working class.”
The Teamsters supported Biden in 2020 but have not yet endorsed a candidate in the presidential election.
Dennis said O’Brien has offered to speak at both party conventions but has not yet heard back from the DNC.
“Our 1.3 million members represent all political backgrounds and their message needs to reach the widest audience possible, and that includes all candidates running for public office,” she said. “We appreciate former President Trump’s commitment to inviting union leaders to speak on behalf of working families.”
Julia Mueller contributed.
