Teamsters will not make presidential endorsement despite member support of Trump

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Wednesday announced it will not endorse a candidate for president, despite releasing internal polling showing a majority of the union’s membership supports former President Trump.

Ahead of the announcement, the Teamsters posted the results of its own polling on the 2024 candidates. It showed that in an online survey, the union’s members favored Trump by 59.6% over Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, who received 34%. In a phone survey, Teamsters favored Trump over Harris, 58% to 31%.

Trump’s support among Teamsters has surged since Harris replaced President Biden at the top of the Democratic Party’s ticket, the data shows. The union’s polling prior to Biden dropping out showed Biden was ahead of Trump among members, 44.3% to 36.3%.

In explaining the reasoning for declining to endorse a 2024 presidential candidate on Wednesday, the union said in a statement, “The union’s extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump.”

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The Teamsters’ decision not to endorse a candidate is a shift from its protocol. The powerful union, which represents some 1.3 million workers in the U.S. and Canada, has endorsed the Democratic candidate for president ever since 1992. The last time the union endorsed a Republican was in 1988.

The Teamsters also becomes the only union among the nation’s top 10 not to back Harris as she faces off against Trump in the race to succeed Biden.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris wave to the crowd during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 in Pittsburgh on Sept. 2. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Trump campaign was quick to spotlight the vote by the Teamster rank-and-file members.

“Union Workers Support President Donald Trump” was the headline of a release from the former president’s campaign.

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And Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued in a statement that “the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear — they want President Trump back in the White House! These hardworking men and women are the backbone of America and President Trump will strongly stand up for them when he’s back in the White House.” 

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Harris campaign fired back with its own reaction.

“While Donald Trump says striking workers should be fired, Vice President Harris has literally walked the picket line and stood strong with organized labor for her entire career,” Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told FOX News Digital in a statement. “The Vice President’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her — alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.”

O’Brien made history in July as he became the first Teamsters president to address a Republican National Convention.

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But his speech also sparked controversy, as he drew the ire of some other top Teamsters leaders and some of the rank-and-file membership. Democrats didn’t invite O’Brien to address their convention last month in Chicago.