Among the most remarkable achievements of President Donald Trump’s political rise has been the inroads he has made into traditional Democratic constituencies, particularly labor unions. Republicans, if they play their cards right, can ensure this lasts.
For decades, organized labor has been a core constituency of the Democratic Party. It was understood that in every election cycle, unions would line up behind Democratic candidates and mobilize their members to vote blue.
But union members are quintessential American voters. They want most of all to earn their living to support their families in a safe community that they can call home while avoiding being dragged into leftist causes that turn their communities into social experiments. As long evidenced by the last election, Democrats no longer connect with voters who feel this way.
At the same time, union leaders have become so enmeshed with the Democratic apparatus that they promoted causes such as mass immigration that had at best nothing to do with the purpose of their organization and often downright opposed the interests of their members.
The Service Employees International Union lists “racial justice” as one of its primary causes and has issued numerous statements on the war in Gaza, even though the union is only based in North America. The American Federation of Teachers and its camera-chasing president, Randi Weingarten, have repeatedly made statements on issues that have little to do with the union’s proper mission, including the anniversary of George Floyd’s death and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
In the meantime, the union leaders who resisted pressure from peer organizations and refused to rubber-stamp Democrats showed that it pays not to be partisan. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters refused to endorse a candidate in the 2024 election, and, in turn, Trump nominated their preferred candidate for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. For decades, police union leaders have shown a willingness to back Republicans and Democrats alike, without wading into issues that have nothing to do with their union. Thus, they enjoy much broader support from their membership.
But as Democrats and union leadership failed to listen and address the concerns of their rank-and-file, Trump, to his credit, did. His agenda of deporting illegal immigrants will pay dividends to union members who will no longer be forced to compete with illegal immigrant labor willing to work for lower, under-the-table wages. The president’s promise to unleash American energy and expand fossil fuel production will expand economic opportunities for blue-collar workers, who make up a disproportionate number of private sector union members. His rejection of the cultural leftism of the Democrats resonated with union members who do not want their children lectured about their race in school or see their daughters forced to share a bathroom with a biological male.
The president’s agenda resonated with rank-and-file union members because it spoke to their concerns and provided a valuable lesson to union leaders that they must listen to their members rather than be the tool and banker of one political party.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S VIOLENT RHETORIC MUST END
If Republicans want success with union voters in future years when Trump is no longer on the ballot, they must continue to advance an agenda that works for workers and speaks to them directly. That means rejecting amnesty for illegal immigrants, holding businesses accountable for undercutting the wages of American workers, expanding energy production, and embracing commonsense cultural policies.
Doing that will ensure that the working class and, in particular, union members, will have a home in the Republican Party for a long time.