The president of the Teamsters Union is set to speak at next month’s Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump has announced. The announcement comes as Trump seeks to win over blue collar and union voters who have historically voted Democrat, particularly in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
In a Truth Social post, Trump announced that Sean O’Brien had “accepted my invitation to speak at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee.”
“Sean O’Brien, the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has accepted my invitation to speak at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee,” Trump wrote.
“Our GREAT convention will unify Americans and demonstrate to the nation’s working families they come first. When I am back in the White House, the hardworking Teamsters, and all working Americans, will once again have a country they can afford to live in and be respected around the world,” the former president continued. “Sean, I look forward to seeing you represent the Teamsters in Milwaukee. Together we can Make America Great Again.”
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Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz cautioned that O’Brien’s decision to speak at the convention does not represent an endorsement of Trump. O’Brien has requested an opportunity to speak at the Democratic National Convention in August as well, though this has yet to be finalized.
In a statement to CNN, Deniz stated that the union was happy to receive Trump’s invitation.
“This is truly unprecedented since it will be the very first time a Teamsters General President has addressed the RNC,” she said in an email. “Our 1.3 million members represent every political background, and their message needs to be heard by as wide an audience as possible, and that includes all political candidates running for elected office. We appreciate former President Trump’s openness to inviting a labor leader to speak on behalf of working families.”
“We sincerely hope the DNC will also respond to our request with an invitation,” the email continued.
Trump and O’Brien previously met at the former president’s Mar-A-Lago estate back in January. Trump then met with the union’s leadership on January 31.
The key union president’s appearance comes as Trump seeks to gain support among union workers who have historically voted for Democrats.
While President Biden has remained quite popular among union bosses, Trump has made significant gains among union workers. According to a January New York Times/Sienna poll, Trump and Biden are effectively tied among union voters in states the president won in 2020.
In Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, Trump and Biden were tied at 47 percent among union members when asked who they’d vote for in 2024. When these swing state voters were asked how they voted in 2020, Biden won the group by an 8-point margin.
The union vote is historically very important in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada. Roughly 15 percent of workers in these three states are represented by unions.
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