A bombshell report revealed that the supposedly pro-union Democrats have “ghosted” Teamsters Union President Sean M. O’Brien in response to his praise for former President Donald Trump.
O’Brien gave a historic speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month, becoming the first union president in the organization’s 121-year history to speak at a Republican convention, where he praised Trump for inviting him. As unions typically support Democrats, the Teamsters Union president explained that his goal for the speech was to make inroads within the GOP, as the party increasingly represents working-class and middle-class Americans.
“President Trump had the backbone to open the doors to this Republican convention, and that’s unprecedented,” O’Brien said at during the event. “No other nominee in the race would’ve invited the Teamsters into this arena. Now you can have whatever opinion you want, but one thing is clear: President Trump is a candidate who is not afraid of hearing from new, loud, and often critical voices.”
O’Brien also praised Trump for his strength and resilience following the assassination attempt the week prior at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I think we all can agree, whether people like him or they don’t like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.,” he said.
Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, during his RNC speech, says "one thing is clear" about Donald Trump:
"I think we all can agree, whether people like him or they don't like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough SOB." pic.twitter.com/pSCfvEbr4a
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 16, 2024
After his speech, reports began to surface that Vice President Kamala Harris and her team had decided to snub O’Brien for daring to appear at the RNC, despite not having officially endorsed Trump.
O’Brien also requested to give a speech at the Democrat National Convention (DNC), which began on Monday, but was effectively denied and “ghosted.” Axios reported that other labor union presidents were invited to speak at the event, but the Teamsters president has not received a response to his request from Democrat Party officials.
“We didn’t get a response to our request for him to speak,” Teamsters spokeswoman Kara Deniz told the outlet in a statement.
O’Brien explained in an appearance on Fox News that he had polled members of the Teamsters Union, which represents more than one million workers, about his speech at the RNC, and only 11% disapproved of him appearing at the convention.
“The reality of it is, maybe they didn’t want my voice heard there,” he told host Neil Cavuto, referring to the DNC. “But I’ll tell you one thing, our members — 1.3 million — their voices will be heard.”
Teamsters President has not received a invite from DNC to speak pic.twitter.com/nCnULkGKep
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) August 20, 2024
Meanwhile, a Reuters report from July claimed that the Teamsters are considering not endorsing any candidates in the 2024 presidential election. This is a major change that could effectively allow members to support Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH).
the democrats have lost the Teamsters. this is because the democrats have moved from economic issues to racial issues. https://t.co/rjJ3Fi6zpS
— Phil Labonte (@philthatremains) July 16, 2024
