As UAW strike against GM drags on, Trump has plenty of 2020 supporters on Michigan picket line
WARREN, Mich. - Well into its second week on strike against General Motors, the United Auto Workers union has received full-throated support from all the major 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and solidarity visits to the picket line by many of them.
But outside the GM Technical Center in suburban Detroit where cutting-edge cars are designed and prototypes are made, plenty of striking auto workers are backing a politician who mostly has been quiet about the walkout: President Donald Trump.
"Yeah, I'm a Trump supporter. There are a lot of us, and that goes against our party line in the union, but I've got to think for myself," said Robert Senkmajer, a 60-year-old wood model maker. "I think the guy's outrageous. He's a hot dog, but he's our hot dog, man. Trump is making stuff happen."
Blue-collar workers like Senkmajer in Rust Belt states like Michigan helped deliver the presidency to Trump, who drew more support from union households than any other Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan.
If Trump is to win a second term amid a growing impeachment inquiry, sluggish approval ratings and flagging support in traditionally Republican suburban areas, retaining the support of union workers in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania will be key. Trump's aggressive trade war with China, push to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement and frequent railing against companies that move jobs overseas have been aimed at keeping those voters in the fold.
On the other side, Democrats are working to shore up the support of union workers who for decades could be counted on as a reliable constituency. They've done so in part by arguing that Trump
