Biden Stakes Reputation on Blue-Collar Workers. Turns Out They're Trump Donors
Mechanics and truck drivers give to Trump, while professors and scientists support Biden.
Joe Biden has attempted to brand himself as the most pro-labor president in US history. Workers who donate to the leading presidential candidates beg to differ.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is winning financial support from grassroots campaign contributors who work for highly unionized workplaces, including American Airlines Group Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc., according to Federal Election Commission data from the second half of 2023 analyzed by Bloomberg News.1 He also has far more donors than Biden from people who report working for largely blue-collar workplaces, such as Walmart Inc. and Federal Express Corp.
That’s a symbolic blow to Biden who has staked his political identity as an advocate for blue-collar workers and the organized labor movement. It also could be a warning sign for his 2024 reelection bid that relies on winning heavily unionized states — Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.