Teamsters president will speak at the Republican National Convention

CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — The president of the Teamsters Union is set to speak at next month’s Republican National Convention, as Donald Trump angles to chip away at President Joe Biden’s support among the blue-collar workers who are expected to play a major role in the general election, particularly in crucial Midwestern swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that O’Brien had “accepted my invitation to speak at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee.”

Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz said Friday that O’Brien had requested a speaking slot at both major party conventions and accepted Trump’s invitation for the RNC, marking the first time a Teamsters president would speak at the GOP event. DNC officials did not immediately respond to whether O’Brien would speak at their event.

Trump has been trying to make inroads among Biden’s support among organized labor heading into the general election, as he works to win over the blue-collar workers who helped fuel his 2016 victory. Union members tend to vote Democratic, with 56% of members and households backing Biden in 2020, according to AP VoteCast.

In September, while his GOP rivals met for a debate, Trump traveled to Michigan and tried to win over autoworkers by lambasting Biden’s electric vehicles push in the midst of a strike. During his speech, Trump urged the United Auto Workers to endorse him, directly appealing to union president Shawn Fain — though he spoke from the floor of a nonunionized auto-parts plant.

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