Trump says he always had autoworkers’ backs. Union leaders say his first-term record shows otherwise

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MICHELLE L. PRICE
Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — When former President Donald Trump visits Detroit on Wednesday, he’ll be looking to blunt criticisms from a United Auto Workers union leadership that has said a second term for him would be a “disaster” for workers. Union leaders say Trump’s record in the White House speaks for itself. Union leadership cites unfavorable rulings from the nation’s top labor board and the U.S. Supreme Court under Trump and unfulfilled promises of automotive jobs. Trump will skip the second Republican presidential debate that day to travel to Detroit and visit striking autoworkers. Trump is running a radio ad in Michigan and Ohio praising autoworkers and claiming he’s “always had their back.”