Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign marked Labor Day by spotlighting past remarks from former President Donald Trump in which he disparaged American workers and unions. The Harris campaign posted two videos featuring Trump’s comments on labor issues, aiming to underscore his negative stance on workers’ rights. One video shows Trump laughing with X CEO Elon Musk about the time Musk fired employees who attempted to unionize at one of his companies.
“They go on strike and you say, ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone, you’re all gone, every one of you is gone!'” Trump said, with Musk laughing in the background. Trump then added, “You are the greatest!” Another video shared by the Harris campaign features Trump during an appearance on Fox News, where he expressed frustration over unions securing significant pay increases for their members.
“With unions, they get their five percent, they get their two percent, they get another three percent, four percent, all of a sudden they’re making more money than the people that own the company!” Trump complained.
These comments, which the Harris campaign is using to highlight Trump’s anti-labor stance, are in stark contrast to the reality faced by American workers. Contrary to Trump’s claims, statistics show that substantial pay increases for union workers are rare, and the ratio of CEO compensation to worker compensation has skyrocketed since the 1970s.
Trump, who has been attempting to court union workers as part of his 2024 presidential campaign, faces an uphill battle. Despite his efforts, the vast majority of unions have continued to support Harris and the Democratic Party, which has a long-standing history of advocating for organized labor.
By drawing attention to Trump’s past comments, the Harris campaign is seeking to solidify her support among union workers and reinforce the Democratic Party’s commitment to labor rights. As the 2024 election approaches, the contrasting positions of the two candidates on workers’ issues are likely to play a significant role in swaying voters within the labor movement.