President Joe Biden has been endorsed by another trade union, this time for retirees, on the heels of winning the support of the United Auto Workers.
The 81-year-old’s campaign welcomed the endorsement from the Alliance for Retired Americans on Tuesday, with campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez underscoring how its more than 4 million members, associated with the AFL-CIO, will provide critical organizing power for the president’s reelection bid.
“As a kid from Scranton, President Biden wakes up every day working hard to make life better for working people, and that includes delivering on a deeply held commitment to care for America’s seniors,” Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a statement. “From capping the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors and allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, to preventing drastic cuts to the hard-earned pensions of millions of union workers and retirees by securing the Butch Lewis Act, and cracking down on the junk fees that are chipping away at Americans’ retirement savings, President Biden is fighting and delivering for America’s seniors.”
The endorsement coincides with Biden’s campaign fundraisers Tuesday in Jupiter and Miami, Florida, one of the country’s top three states for retirees. Florida is also home to former President Donald Trump and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the latter of whom Biden has criticized for his since-rescinded proposals to force entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare to be reauthorized every five years.
“When it comes to Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans’ attacks on Social Security and Medicare, President Biden won’t just fight back against them; he’s working to strengthen these programs in the process,” Chavez Rodriguez said.
During his first stop in Jupiter, close to one of Trump’s golf courses, Biden expressed optimism that he and his party can “win” Florida in nine months. Biden lost the state to Trump in 2020 by 3 percentage points, 51% to 48%.
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“We have to keep the White House, we have to keep the Senate, and we have to win back the House,” Biden told donors, adding that Florida has had a “dose of Trumpism.”
Biden was endorsed by the United Auto Workers last week after Trump tried to earn the group’s support by leveraging anger concerning the president’s electric vehicle policies. The two are similarly competing for the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters as they prepare for a likely 2020 rematch.
