White House officials are reportedly angry over Teamsters President Sean O’Brien’s appearance at the Republican National Convention, given President Joe Biden’s strong support of unions.
The Teamsters remain an outlier among labor groups because they have not endorsed either candidate in the presidential election. O’Brien did not endorse former President Donald Trump at the RNC on Tuesday, but some viewed his address as a de facto endorsement.
According to the Washington Post, White House aides, congressional Democrats, and even some labor leaders were angry over O’Brien’s appearance and positive words for Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). The aides reportedly were particularly upset, viewing it as a betrayal of the administration’s support for many of the Teamsters’ top priorities.
“How could the Teamsters not endorse the man who is transparently the most pro-labor president in history? There is no question the White House is furious,” one person reportedly in communication with White House officials told the outlet. “Everybody is p—ed. Everybody is like, ‘What on Earth? How could this have gotten so messed up?’” Biden’s support for labor unions has led many of them to endorse him this presidential cycle.
O’Brien called Trump a “tough S.O.B.” in his address.
“President Trump is a candidate who is not afraid of hearing from new, loud, and often critical voices, and I think we all can agree, whether people like him or they don’t like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien’s speech at the RNC was uncommon for a Republican convention as many labor leaders have been overwhelmingly pro-Democrat. He said, “The left called me a traitor” for speaking at the RNC.
“The corporatists that the Teamsters exposed on the floor of the RNC own the Washington Post and were likely upset by how many times Sean O’Brien directly called out Amazon’s atrocious employment practices,” said Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokeswoman, in a statement provided to the outlet responding to the criticism.
“The Teamsters refuse to be pressured to fall in line by those who continue to applaud a broken system,” Deniz continued. “We will continue to participate in the political process at all levels on behalf of working people.”
O’Brien also praised Vance for “truly [caring] about working people.”
Vance has an awkward history with unions, awkwardly greeting Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) at a United Auto Workers strike last year.
“Nice to see you, Marcy,” Vance said while laughing at the awkward exchange.
“First time here?” Kaptur asked.
“First time here, yeah,” Vance replied followed by thanks from Kaptur for coming.
Biden was the first sitting president to appear at a picket line when he showed up at a UAW one in 2023, and he restored retirement accounts for around 350,000 Teamsters members. Some union members fear Trump will undo some pro-union policies.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House but did not receive a response.
O’Brien has also requested to speak at the Democratic National Convention but has not received an invitation.
