President Donald Trump touted praise for his tariffs from the president of the United Auto Workers during a Sunday interview with NBC host Kristen Welker.
Trump imposed a 25% tariff covering imported cars, SUVs, crossovers, minivans and light trucks, in addition to parts including engines and transmissions, citing “national security concerns” in March. The “Meet the Press” host questioned Trump about the effects his tariffs on China would have on small businesses, to which the president immediately fired back.
“You pick a couple of little businesses. What about the car business?” Trump asked Welker. “They’re going to make a fortune because of the tariffs. Did you know the head of the union, who was no fan of mine, Fain, Shawn Fain I guess his name is right? He didn’t endorse me, the Teamsters did, a lot of people did, a lot of unions did, but he didn’t. He couldn’t stand me.”
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“Now he’s saying, ‘Wow, what Trump’s done for the automobile… I can’t believe it.’ I assume he’s probably going to say the next thing he can say which is, ‘I endorse this guy, he’s the greatest I’ve ever seen,’” Trump continued. “He said, ‘We’ve been waiting 40 years for somebody to do what Trump is doing.’ So why don’t you mention the big car industry instead of somebody that’s doing strollers?”
UAW President Shawn Fain engaged in an 11-minute verbal battle with MSNBC hosts Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Michael Steele April 4 over tariffs imposed by Trump, arguing that they would bring manufacturing back to the United States. While the leadership of the UAW backed then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, with Fain labeling Trump a “scab” during the Democratic National Convention, many rank-and-file members of the union backed Trump, helping propel him to securing Michigan in 2024.
“We are ecstatic to see an administration finally address the unfair trade laws in this country,” Fain said in video posted to social media March 27. “These laws have destroyed the American working class. They’ve destroyed communities in this country, in virtually every state, for decades.”
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent told Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday that the Trump administration was negotiating trade deals with 17 major trading partners of the United States.
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