Will the vigorous strike in the automobile sector in the United States be of no use? The mobilization of workers since mid-September to demand, in particular, better salaries, is at the heart of a bitter debate between Democrats and Republicans. During a public gathering at a facility near Detroit on Wednesday, former US President Donald Trump spoke about the future of the sector, marked by rapid electrification. He also took the opportunity to shoot a few arrows at his successor, Joe Biden.
The strategy aimed at massively developing the electric automobile does not win the support of the contender for the White House, who denounced a risky strategy for the employment of blue-collar workers. “Now they want to go all out towards electric, and put you all out of work,” he said, accusing the Biden administration of going to “murder” the jobs of the workers present. “The automobile industry is being murdered,” insisted the real estate mogul.
The businessman then added that the strikes hitting the sector were likely to prove disappointing. “Your negotiations are not as important as you think. […] In two years, you will all be unemployed. […] I see your pickets, but I think you are doing it for the wrong reasons,” he stressed. He then called on employee representatives to support his candidacy for the US presidential election, and urged workers to do the same. Without it, “you won’t have any time off, and soon you will no longer have a union, you will no longer have a job.”
Reported in particular by the AP agency, these remarks took place on the same day as a debate between the candidates for the nomination of the Republican Party for the 2024 presidential campaign. Several participants also directly targeted Donald Trump, during the exchanges , accusing him of having fled this confrontation. The former president regularly points out the threat of electrification for the automobile sector, particularly in states where it weighs heavily on the economy.
The day before, Joe Biden distinguished himself by becoming the first sitting American president to go to a gathering of strikers to support them. He hopes to gain the support of the United Auto Workers (UAW), an organization that called a strike at General Motors, Stellantis and Ford in mid-September. “Joe Biden came to Michigan to pose on the picket line. But it’s his policies that are sending Michigan auto workers out of work,” replied Donald Trump, for his part, on his Truth Social network. And to accuse the administration in place of favoring the Chinese automobile industry, to the detriment of American manufacturers.