Teamsters Won’t Endorse Candidate, Claim Majority Supports Trump

The Teamsters International, a prominent union representing over 1.3 million transportation workers in the United States, has refrained from endorsing any candidate ahead of the November presidential election. This decision comes alongside polling data that indicates a majority of its members favor Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.

Prior to Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in 2023, polling revealed that Teamsters members preferred him over Trump by 44.3% to 36.3%. However, after Biden endorsed Harris, a more recent poll indicated that 59.6% of union members favored endorsing Trump, with only 34% opting for Harris.

This marks the first time since 1996 that the Teamsters have chosen not to make an election endorsement. The union has consistently backed Democratic candidates since the year 2000.

The decision coincides with increased scrutiny surrounding Sean O’Brien, who became the first Teamsters leader to speak at the Republican National Convention in July. John Palmer, a vice president at large within the Teamsters, criticized O’Brien’s appearance at the convention, labeling it “unconscionable,” particularly given Trump’s history of opposing labor unions.

This week, Harris held a roundtable discussion with Teamsters leaders prior to the union’s decision. Earlier in the year, both Trump and Biden participated in similar meetings with the union.

O’Brien expressed disappointment in the lack of serious commitments from both major candidates to uphold the interests of working families. In a statement, he noted, “We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries – and to honor our members’ right to strike – but were unable to secure those pledges.”

According to Palmer, during the voting process within the Teamsters leadership, 14 members chose not to endorse any candidate, while only 3 voted for Harris. Palmer was one of those who favored Harris and characterized the non-endorsement as “cowardice.”

Earlier last month, the Teamsters National Black Caucus had already voiced their support for Harris. In light of the Teamsters’ non-endorsement, a grassroots organization named Teamsters against Trump, composed of union members and retirees, announced plans to amplify their efforts in support of Vice President Harris.

Additionally, Teamsters councils representing around 500,000 workers in key battleground states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada, also expressed their endorsement for Harris.

James Larkin, a member of Teamsters Local 299 in Detroit, stated, “When it comes to my vote for President, as a proud Teamster there’s no contest. Donald Trump doesn’t give a damn about the working class. As President, Trump didn’t lift a finger to help Teamsters whose pensions were in danger. Instead, he installed his billionaire friends in the White House and did everything he could to stop workers from organizing into unions.”

The Trump campaign expressed approval of the Teamsters’ decision. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt remarked, “While the Teamsters Executive Board is making no formal endorsement, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear.”

In a response to this development, House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi described the Teamsters’ decision as “disappointing.” She emphasized that Trump had refused to back a pension bill for the Teamsters, highlighting that it was the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats who successfully saved Teamsters pensions through the Butch Lewis Act of the American Rescue Plan – a bill that passed without the support of a single Republican vote.