For the first time in twenty years, the Teamsters political committee sent $45,000 to the Republican National Committee, according to a report.
The Washington Post revealed the payment on Wednesday. It appears that the donation occurred on the same day that former President Donald Trump had his second meeting with the Teamsters’ leadership in January.
The influential organized labor union has historically given to Democrats; according to the publication, it contributed to the Democratic National Committee $135,000 in December of last year and another $15,000 in March of 2023. However, this is the first time the group has given to the RNC since it last gave $15,000 in 2004.
According to the Post, Trump is well-liked by many of the union’s regular members, despite the fact that the gift has apparently infuriated some of the organization’s left-leaning officials and members.
The Post reports that the union covers around 1.3 million UPS employees as well as other transportation workers. While several unions have already nominated Biden for 2024, the group has not yet chosen a candidate for that year. It has endorsed Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and President Joe Biden in 2020.
John Palmer, a member of the Teamsters executive board, claimed that the RNC gift appeared to be a “tacit support” of Trump.
“In my tenure on the board, we have never accomplished something like this,” he remarked. “It seems like an implicit support of Trump, but I think the strategy is that we’ll have a little more influence with the GOP.”
The National Labor Relations Board now has a labor advocate at the helm, making it easier for workers to join unions. The Post also cited Biden’s victories for the labor movement as approving trillions of dollars in federal spending on climate, semiconductors, and infrastructure packages that encourage businesses to hire union workers.
The report did note that in 2022, Biden faced opposition from train workers when he requested that Congress impose a union contract to prevent a walkout that did not provide paid sick days.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Biden posed for pictures in January when Biden inadvertently wore his hardhat backwards at a meeting with union workers in Wisconsin.
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