UAW Leader Says Trump’s Show Of Auto Worker Support Is ‘A Con’

The Detroit News reported earlier this week that several people wearing “Auto Workers for Trump” T-shirts at a Donald Trump campaign event in Michigan were not actually auto workers .

The report didn’t seem to surprise Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union.

“It’s pathetic. Everything he does is a con,” Fain said Thursday, referencing Trump.

The UAW, which is based in the crucial swing state of Michigan, has endorsed Harris, and its leader Fain has become one of Trump’s most fiery critics. Fain was speaking on a call hosted by the Kamala Harris campaign ahead of Trump’s scheduled address to the Detroit Economic Club.

“There is a stark contrast between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris,” he said. “Kamala Harris has stood with labor. She’s walked the walk. Donald Trump serves himself. He’s always served himself.”

Most major unions have lined up behind Harris and plan to help the Democratic nominee’s get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of Election Day. However, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced last month that it would not make an endorsement, citing membership polls showing more support for Trump among its rank and file.

Like the Teamsters, the UAW makes its endorsement (or non-endorsement) through a vote by its executive board, rather than a vote by its membership.

Asked about the Teamsters’ decision to stay out of the race, Fain said he believed he had “a responsibility as a leader” to take a stand against Trump, noting the former president’s patently anti-union record while in office. He didn’t deny a significant share of the union’s members would support Trump.

Quoting legendary UAW leader Walter Reuther, Fain said there was a correlation between the “ballot box” and the “bread box,”