In a bid to bolster his image as a champion of the working class, President Joe Biden made a brief appearance on Tuesday at a picket line in Michigan, where United Auto Workers (UAW) are currently on strike.
His visit, which lasted a mere 12 minutes, was followed by a trip to Silicon Valley for an upscale fundraiser.
Addressing the striking UAW members outside Detroit, Biden declared through a bullhorn, "Wall Street didnt build the country the middle class built the country. Unions built the middle class. Thats a fact. So lets keep going. You deserve what youve earned and youve earned a hell of a lot more than youre getting paid now.
This marked the first time a sitting president has visited a picket line. However, the UAW has yet to endorse Biden's re-election campaign, due to his administration's push to transition consumers to foreign-made electric vehicles.
Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to be Biden's rival in the 2024 election, has opted to address union workers on Wednesday night, instead of attending the second Republican primary debate in Simi Valley, California.
The White House has not clarified whether Biden supports the striking workers' demands for a 40% pay increase and a 32-hour workweek. However, when asked by a reporter on Tuesday if he believed the proposed salary hike was justified, Biden responded affirmatively.
While en route to Detroit on Air Force One, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on whether the strike could negatively impact Biden's re-election prospects if it were to affect the US economy. "Im not going to speak to any political outcomes or how this plays into next years election, Jean-Pierre stated.
UAW President Shawn Fain, who spoke for seven minutes compared to Biden's 87 seconds, expressed gratitude to the president for his visit. Addressing the crowd, Fain said, Today belongs to the auto workers in the working class. We do the heavy lifting. We do the real work. We have the power. The world is of our making. The economy is of our making. This industry is of our making when we withhold our labor, we can unmake it.
Following his brief visit, Biden quickly returned to the Detroit airport to embark on a roughly 2,400-mile journey to the Bay Area for campaign fundraising events.
Among these events is a sold-out Tuesday night gathering for his super PAC, the Biden Victory Fund, in Atherton, California. Donor contributions for this event range from $5,000 to $100,000, according to Puck News.
The fundraiser will be hosted by Mark Heising, founder of private equity firm Medley Partners, and his wife Liz Simons, daughter of retired billionaire hedge fund manager and Democratic megadonor James Simons. The couple has previously donated generously to Biden's campaign and super PAC.
Former President Barack Obama also benefited from the couple's contributions to the Democratic party, attending a $32,400-per-donor brunch at their home in 2013, as reported by Politico.
Philanthropist and sociologist Gretchen Sisson and her husband, Facebook co-founder Andrew McCollum, will host a second reception for the Biden Victory Fund on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Biden's last Bay Area donor event took place in June, during a three-day trip to meet with tech industry leaders to discuss artificial intelligence.
During this visit, he announced a $600 million investment in coastal and Great Lake communities for building projects aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Login