Teamsters Refuse to Support Donald Trump as Polls Show Their Members Support Donald Trump

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The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has decided not to endorse any candidate in the November U.S. presidential election, signaling that a once-crucial portion of Democratic support could shift to Donald Trump.

The powerful union announced its surprise decision after reporting that a telephone survey found that 58% of its members wanted it to support the former Republican president, nearly double the number who supported Vice President Kamala Harris. It was unclear how many of the union’s 1.3 million members, which include UPS drivers, railroad workers and nurses, were surveyed.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate has been able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure that the interests of working people always come before those of big business,” union President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris that they would not interfere in critical union campaigns or key Teamster industries – and that they would respect our members’ right to strike – but we were unable to secure those commitments.”

Other major unions, including the United Auto Workers, the United Steelworkers and the American Federation of Teachers, endorsed Harris shortly after her campaign launched. In contrast, Teamsters leaders opted for an unusual series of roundtable discussions with candidates and internal polls, arguing that the process would make the group’s political activities more democratic.

This is the first time in 28 years that the union has not provided any endorsement. The Teamsters supported Joe Biden and Harris in 2020 and last backed a Republican in 1988.

The move comes just two days after a closed-door meeting between Harris and union leaders in Washington. Trump had met earlier with Teamsters leaders in hopes of garnering high-level support that could win over more of the union’s members, who are heavily concentrated in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Teamsters’ decision comes amid concerns among Democrats and other union leaders about Trump’s gains with working-class voters.

Union leaders largely view Trump as an enemy of the labor movement, but polls show their rank-and-file members are more open to the former president than they were in 2020, when NBC’s exit poll showed they preferred Biden to Trump by 16 percentage points.

The latest poll by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business found that 45% of registered voters said Harris better represented the interests of union members, compared with 35% who said Trump did.

The Teamsters’ internal approval process has divided the union, with some members also criticizing O’Brien’s decision to speak at the Republican National Convention in July, meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate and make the union’s first major donation to Republicans in two decades.

John Palmer, Teamsters international vice president, said the general executive board voted overwhelmingly against O’Brien’s proposal Wednesday. Palmer said only he and two other board members voted in favor of the vice president.

“It was a cowardly political move by people who wanted to pander to the membership instead of taking what would have been a major blow by telling the truth,” Palmer said, referring to Trump’s history of animosity toward unions.

Wednesday’s announcement amounted to a “tacit endorsement” from Trump, said Palmer, who is challenging O’Brien in the 2026 union leadership election.

Trump’s campaign claimed victory, with Karoline Leavitt, his national press secretary, saying: “While the Teamsters Executive Committee is not making any official recommendations, Teamsters working members have been clear: They want President Trump back in the White House!”

Asked for his reaction, Trump told reporters at a campaign event: “It’s a great honor, they’re not going to support the Democrats, that’s a big thing… The Democrats automatically had the Teamsters.”

Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Harris’ campaign, said the vice president has “literally walked the picket line and stood firm with unions throughout her career.”

“The vice president’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already supported her, alongside the overwhelming majority of organized workers,” Hitt added.

The White House declined to say whether the Teamsters poll was a referendum on the administration, with spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre saying only that Biden and Harris had “fought hard for unions.”

The union’s National Black Caucus endorsed Harris in August, calling her “a key partner in leading the most pro-union administration of our time” while denouncing Trump as “a scab masquerading as a pro-union advocate.”