Donald Trump Makes Surprise Visit to Non-Union Auto Parts Manufacturer to Counter-Program Republican Presidential Debate

Former President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Drake Enterprises, a small non-union auto parts manufacturer outside Detroit, on Wednesday night. The visit was meant to counter-program the Republican presidential debate and to contest President Biden’s relationship with unionized auto workers.

During his speech, Trump repeatedly bashed union leadership and argued that United Auto Workers members had their priorities backward. He also argued that union autoworkers should prioritize their own interests over those of the union leadership.

Trump’s visit was initially billed as a message to union autoworkers and was seen as a response to President Biden’s visit to a UAW picket line on Tuesday, making history as the first time a sitting president has ever so explicitly backed not just the right to bargain generally, but a specific strike.

However, it was later revealed that Trump was not speaking to a roomful of striking Detroit autoworkers, but rather to a roomful of auto workers. This was confirmed by ABC News, who reported on Tuesday that Trump would skip the Republican presidential debate “to instead court unionized auto workers.”

Trump’s visit to Drake Enterprises was seen as a way for him to show his support for unionized auto workers, despite not speaking to striking autoworkers. It remains to be seen if his visit will have any effect on the ongoing UAW strike.