 Wall Street didn't build the country, the middle class built the country, the middle class. So let's keep going, you deserve what you've earned, and you've earned a hell of a lot more than you get paid now. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, you just watched a sitting US president join striking workers on the picket line. This is a really big deal. This has never happened before, because usually presidents will just remain neutral at best during these types of labor disputes. But at worst, they straight up decided with the corporations, because they fund their campaigns. So I mean, why wouldn't they? But in this instance, Biden got it right, and he didn't just get it right. When it comes to who he's siding with, he showed up, and that matters. He deserves the utmost credit for this. And he even went on to give a really good speech about how these workers all got screwed over after they bailed out these companies. So think about this. You work for a company, and you take less so your company can survive, and then they turn around and screw you over. Biden actually addressed that. You deserve the significant raise you need and other benefits. Let's get it! Get back who we lost, okay? Really, really great speech from Biden, and it's not just significant because it's unprecedented. This matters because it raises the standards for all Democrats, as Maxwell Frost puts it. This also makes Democratic politicians joining pickets an expectation now. Big win. And he's correct about that. Biden showing up to the picket line is no small thing. You can't overstate the significance of this. In fact, he was attacked by an Obama administration official because he showed up and sided with workers. Jeff Stein of the Washington Post shared a quote from Stephen Ratner who led President Obama's auto industry task force, and he said, Listen, if a president putting his thumb on the scale in favor of workers is wrong, then I don't want to be right. But Ratner is speaking to this expectation that presidents must remain neutral when in actuality there's no law that says they have to. They don't have to. But by breaking this custom, it has caused heads to explode in DC because again, presidents don't usually do this. And Biden showing up didn't just spark mass confusion for politicians, but pundits as well because during a White House press briefing, members of the press genuinely did not understand what the takeaway was from this. Just watch this. This clip is amazing. It seems like by going to stand with workers at a picket line, the president is literally standing with them in the terms that they're seeking in the contract dispute. But when you're asked about some of the specifics of that, you seem to be saying you guys don't want to get into the specifics of the dispute. So is he not standing with them on the terms with which they're trying to negotiate? I mean, to be very clear, he's standing with them to make sure that they get a fair share. That is what he's standing with them on. And we've said this, that they get the record profits mean a record contract for UAW. That is why he's going. That is what he's standing for. Now, they're going to negotiate what that looks like for them. That's what they're doing right now. That's what collective bargaining is all about. They're going to talk it through what a win-win agreement looks like. But what we definitely agree on is that they deserve a fair share. But it seems like he's taking away that some past presidents have been an arbiter between two sides that are in conflict. It seems like by going to the picket line, he's not an arbiter between the two sides. He's choosing a side by standing with the union. But we have said over and over again that this is a president that stands with union workers. So does the White House see any political risk in doing this? What the president understands is that he wants to be on the side and is and has been on the side of workers. Wait, hang on. So I can't determine which side he's on. If he's on the picket line with the workers, then how can he still be neutral? What does this mean? What do I take away from this? I mean, look, take away from it what you will. But I think that was pretty clear. That right there, that press briefing, it really speaks to a huge blind spot that the media has. When it comes to these types of labor disputes, they are incapable of viewing these disputes from the lens of workers. And they almost always look at it from the standpoint of the corporations and the economy, right? But I mean, it's obvious why that bias is there because it's built in these networks, their businesses, right? Their goal primarily is not the dissemination of news and information. It is to increase profits, right? And all these corporations who are exploiting their workers, well, they advertise on these networks. So there's that bias there and it shows especially in times like this. So we usually don't get the perspective of anyone but the corporations. How much money will this cost them? How will this affect the economy? But in this instance, the president showing up to the picket line, it kind of helps change this dynamic, change the perspective to where we can finally see how the workers are viewing this because the president is kind of forcing you to pay attention to what they're saying, right? And I just want to take a moment to further emphasize how effective this strike has been. So you have Donald Trump and Joe Biden both fighting for the support of these workers. And that's really nice to see. I mean, if this strike were taking place in a non-battleground state, would they be as vocal? I mean, the cynic in me says no, but in this instance, the intent doesn't really matter. The outcome does. So it is good to see both Biden and Trump trying to win over these striking workers explicitly. And the fact that these workers are in a position where both major presidential contenders are jockeying for their support, it's great. I mean, it would be inconceivable eight maybe even four years ago, but here we are. We're in a situation where labor has grown so powerful that both major presidential candidates are trying to actively win their support. But Trump took a shot at Biden after he announced that he'd be visiting the picket line, writing on Truth Social. Cricket Joe Biden had no intention of going to visit the United Auto Workers until I announced that I would be heading to Michigan to be with them and help them out. Actually, Cricket Joe Biden sold them down the river with his ridiculous all-electric car hoax. This wasn't Biden's idea. He can't put two sentences together. The idea of the radical left fascists, Marxists, and communists who control him and who in doing are destroying our country. Within three years, all of these cars will be made in China. That's what Sleepy Joe wants because China pays him and his family a fortune. He is a Manchurian candidate. And get this, if the UAW leadership doesn't endorse me and if I don't win the election, the Auto Workers are toast with our great truckers to follow. Cricket Joe Biden is the most corrupt and incompetent president in the history of the USA. If he is able to gather the energy to show up, tell him to go to the southern border instead and to leave the car industry alone. Yeah. So it turns out he showed up and it went really well. Now putting aside the stupidity and him ironically referring to the radical left as fascists and communists simultaneously, I mean the desperation there is palpable. He feels like he's being one upped by Joe Biden and he is. But the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is literally asking for the Union's endorsement. Is he doing it in a very stupid clumsy way? Yes. But to see a Republican presidential contender actually say, I want that Union's endorsement. I mean that means that the workers are in a very good spot. And perhaps there's a kernel of truth to what Trump said about Biden having no intention of visiting until Trump announced that he'd be going there. But I mean at the end of the day, what matters is that Biden showed up and we know Trump would never do the same as a sitting president. And we know this because it's anti-labor policies tell us everything we need to know about him. And Trump also made a fatal error here. He's not actually going to be speaking at the striking plants. He's holding his rally at a non-union plant. But don't take it from me. Take it from CNN who actually reported on this. We also know from our reporting that a union source telling us that they do not consider former President Trump's visit tomorrow in Detroit at Drake Enterprises, a show of solidarity with the union because that is not a union shop. However, we know that President Biden was invited directly by the union. Oops. Now I have to point out that the Chiron says it all. Biden joins auto workers on the picket line in Michigan. That tells you the importance of the president of the United States showing up and using his bully pulpit to advocate for workers. Because CNN wasn't just reporting on Biden's visit. They had a reporter in the field with striking workers talking to striking workers. So it really goes to show you how important it is for the president to show their support to these striking workers. And even though the media still, as I mentioned, has a lot of blind spots when it comes to labor issues, what we're seeing now is how the labor movement is unilaterally shifting the entire Overton window to the left. And that is really encouraging to see. Now, Tina Desiree of Status Coup spoke with striking workers about Trump's visit in a non-union facility. And they definitely had some thoughts to say the least. Trump is actually going to be speaking at a non-union facility. I don't understand how he can address union workers at a non-union facility and still come off as being pro-labor. It seems to me like, what are you trying to make a play for? Right to work? Like, what's going on here? Do you have any thoughts on that? If you can't talk about it, that's fine. I get it. No, I don't think that Trump is pro-labor. I mean, it's just that simple. He's got a history, a very, very long sordid history of not paying his workers. He's got a lot of people kind of chomping at the bit trying to get paid as it is now. It's not paying his lawyers. So yeah, as far as labor is concerned, it doesn't matter where he goes to speak. None of us are going to believe it. And therein lies the problem. Trump's populist rhetoric may have landed in 2016 because he didn't have a record to look at. But I mean, after four years of him being president, workers felt the pain inflicted by his anti-labor laws. And that's now hurting him. It's coming to bite him in the ass. That's a problem. While the UAW hasn't officially made an endorsement of either candidate yet, they've been openly critical of Donald Trump. And they made it clear that he wasn't welcome there, which is perhaps why he had to show up to a non-union facility. And as the Washington Post reports, Biden comes at the invitation of union leaders. Trump came despite their warnings to keep his distance. Ouch! Biden has touted a record as a pro-union president while at time struggling to maintain the support of rank and file members. Trump calls himself pro-worker while at times clashing with union leadership and implementing policies as president that worked against their interests. And to make matters worse, Trump is also trying to gaslight workers. Ross Doria explains Trump attacked the union workers last week when he spoke with NBC's Meet the Press. Quote, the other workers will not have any jobs, Kristen, because all of these cars are going to be made in China. The electric cars automatically are going to be made in China, Trump told Christian Walker. The former president believes electric cars are automatically made in China, ignoring that Joe Biden's infrastructure package and the Inflation Reduction Act required that for the $7,500 tax credit to be applicable, the cars must meet requirements for U.S. assembly and materials. Yeah, so Trump isn't just talking past the striking workers, he's creating his own narrative and supporting the striking workers on those grounds that he fabricated in his own head. And he's not alone, right? We've seen Republican senators like Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton also signal support for the striking workers on those grounds, claiming that really, they're striking because they don't like Biden's climate policies. When in actuality, they're telling you why they're striking. It's because their bosses are exploiting them and they've had enough. They want a cost of living raised. They want to actually be treated fairly. So, I mean, if their CEOs got a 40% increase, they want a 40% increase, especially considering the fact that they bailed out these companies. So it is really a bad look when Republicans pretend to support the workers, but it's obvious they haven't listened to what the workers have to say. But I don't want to give you the impression that the UAW workers are unequivocally with Biden because that would be inaccurate. Even though he's joining them on the picket line today, there's still some lingering skepticism about him. HuffPost reports, Look, this sentiment is completely understandable. Yes, it is objectively good to see Biden show up to the picket line, but these workers aren't illogical or unreasonable to question whether or not they'd be getting this much attention if this wasn't an election season, right? Worker rights shouldn't live or die based on whether or not it's an election year or an election season, which is why the implementation of policies to embolden unions and workers is absolutely crucial. Now, another issue that some workers have with Biden and rightfully so, I think, is that he'll be attending a fundraiser directly after he's at the picket line. So he's going to leave the picket line and then go to a very wealthy donor fundraiser. So there's this question of whether or not he's telling them one thing and then telling donors something completely different. The article continues, She also pointed out how her union has been a major political backer of Bidens, although the UAW has so far withheld its endorsement of Biden for 2024, while also saying it has no intention of supporting Trump, the likely GOP nominee. Quote, Many of the striking workers describe themselves as swing voters. My job is very important to me and my family, so if you can help me out with my job, that's how you can sway me, said Chris Jedecek, 44, who has worked at Ford for 24 years. I wish there was a third option there. Inside the plan, there's so many Trump supporters I talked to. There's a lot of Democrats, not too many Biden supporters, but there's a lot of Democrats in there. Marissa Beck, 40, said she's voted for Democrats but has moved to the center more recently. While her co-worker, Tony Jarrell, 42, has voted for Republicans, but has also found herself seeking to reevaluate both parties. Both women who began working together in 2007, say they dislike comments Biden and Trump have made about their union and its members. Quote, Their support shown during a moment when we are on strike is appreciated. I don't know what they could say that I would believe it's a political year. So these workers are skeptical still. And I think that this insight, these perspectives are really important. Because since the Democratic Party took a neoliberal turn since the Clinton era, that trust was broken. And fundamentally, that pro-corporate structure within the party has not changed at all as evidenced by the fact that Biden shut down a strike from the railroad workers just last year. So I don't want to make it seem as if I'm unable to take yes for an answer or trying to withdraw credit from Biden or trying to perpetuate some false equivalence between Democrats and Republicans, because that's not the case. But what I am saying is that showing up is important. But it's going to take more than that for the Democratic Party to win back the trust of these voters who felt left behind, right? Having said that though, I think that this is a great start. And Biden certainly gets credit where it's due. But this change that we're seeing, where both major presidential contenders are competing for labor, that is a change that is driven entirely by the labor movement and it demonstrates that real change always comes from the bottom up and not the top down. Now when it comes to the UAW strike itself, even without maximum pressure being applied yet, the union has already been massively successful. The big three automakers have seen their reputations plummet with a majority of Americans saying that they support the strike and on top of that, thanks to the rolling nature of the strike, confused automakers ended up hurting themselves by anticipating strikes at the wrong facilities because they didn't know which ones were going to go on strike. As the Intercept explains, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis stalled production and moved parts out of plants across the country according to rank and file workers self-inflicting financial damage that could have been avoided by meeting workers' demands precisely. So for the first time, we're seeing that the onus is on the corporations and not the workers to do the right thing. The onus is on the corporations to meet the demands of their workers because what they're asking for is incredibly reasonable. So what we're seeing is a paradigm shift in this country currently. And when it comes to the UAW strike, I think needless to say the strike has already been incredibly effective. And corporations across the country are probably seeing what's transpiring here and they're shitting themselves because we're all simultaneously getting a lesson in the importance of unions and the power of collective bargaining. Everyone's paying attention, the world is watching and that's bad news for these corporations. And this is by far one of the most important moments in my generation, if not the most important moment in this generation. So I would highly encourage you to follow this labor movement because this is what is driving change in this country the most. Right? So watch on the ground interviews by Status Koo. I'd also highly recommend the Valley Labor Report. They're actually an Alabama-based radio show, but they cover all types of labor issues. They're also on YouTube as well, so definitely check them out. I think they're really, really on point and very insightful. But I mean, yeah, we'll leave that there all around. This has been a fantastic month for labor and it's only going to get better.