UAW chief slams Trump's cosy relationship with Musk as he backs Harris

The United Auto Workers (UAW) president, Shawn Fain, has levelled a scathing attack on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's close ties with billionaire Elon Musk while actively campaigning for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Fain's criticisms come at a time of heightened political tensions, with the upcoming November election looming large. The UAW leader's strategic decision to align with Harris and denounce Trump's association with Musk is a clear indication of the union's priorities and the importance it places on maintaining a strong relationship with the Democratic party.

During his campaign appearances, Fain did not mince his words when addressing Trump's relationship with Musk. "For months, Donald Trump has gone around trashing our state, trashing our industry, trashing the American autoworker, saying he was against electric vehicles. And then something happened," Fain said, citing reports that Musk had planned to commit around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super political-action committee.

Fain's remarks were a direct reference to the Wall Street Journal's report, which suggested that Musk was poised to provide substantial financial support to Trump's political endeavours. However, both Musk and Trump later refuted the claims, stating that the Tesla CEO had never pledged any such donation.

Nonetheless, Fain seized the opportunity to attack Trump, labelling him a "sellout" and accusing the former president of changing his tune on electric vehicles after Musk's alleged endorsement. "And all of a sudden, guess what, Trump changed his tune," Fain said, highlighting the perceived hypocrisy in Trump's stance on the electric vehicle industry.

Trump's history of opposition to electric car mandates and criticism of EV policies under the Biden administration has been well-documented. However, in a recent rally, the former president claimed to be "for electric cars," attributing his newfound support to Musk's endorsement. "I'm for electric cars. I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice," Trump stated, though he added that he still supports other types of vehicles, including gas-powered and hybrid cars.

Fain's scathing critique of Trump's relationship with Musk is a strategic move by the UAW to align itself with the Democratic party and, more specifically, Harris, who recently became the Democratic presidential candidate after Biden stepped aside. The union's endorsement of Harris is a clear indication of its desire to maintain a strong partnership with the Democratic administration, which it believes will be more favourable to the interests of autoworkers.