President Joe Biden will visit Michigan next week to support members of the United Auto Workers union, who are currently on strike amid disputes over increased compensation.
"Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create," Biden posted on X. "It's time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs."
Though the union originally planned targeted strikes at three facilities belonging to the Detroit Three, it expanded the strike on Friday to 38 General Motors and Stellantis facilities across 20 states.
Biden's move may be an attempt to get ahead of former President Donald Trump, who plans to visit Detroit next week to address union workers instead of participating in the Republican primary debate.
Trump has been critical of the Biden administration's electric vehicle mandates, which he has warned will spell disaster for union workers and result in the outsourcing of their positions overseas.
"Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicle mandate will murder the U.S. auto industry and kill countless union autoworker jobs forever, especially in Michigan and the Midwest," he said earlier this month.
"The only acceptable policy for UAW members should be the complete and total repeal of Biden's catastrophic EV mandate," he insisted. "Union leadership must decide whether they will stand with Biden and other far-left political cronies in Washington, or whether they will stand with front-line autoworkers and President Trump."
