The United Automobile Workers Union (UAW), which endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump during the 2024 election, praised Trump’s “aggressive” tariff strategy in a statement Tuesday, while also defending the president from criticism that his tariffs will upend the economy.
Trump indicated during his Tuesday evening address to Congress that he spoke with leaders from some of the nation’s largest auto manufacturers who are “so excited” about the incoming tariffs. Trump said his tariffs on automobiles, which began for Canadian and Mexican imports this week, will bring a “boom” to the U.S. auto industry. He also reaffirmed his plan to levy even further tariffs against other countries beginning April 2.
“Tariffs are a powerful tool in the toolbox for undoing the injustice of anti-worker trade deals. We are glad to see an American president take aggressive action on ending the free trade disaster that has dropped like a bomb on the working class,” the UAW said in a Tuesday statement.
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“There’s been a lot of talk of these tariffs ‘disrupting’ the economy,” the group added. “But if corporate America chooses to price-gouge the American consumer or attack the American worker because they don’t want to pay their fair share, corporate America bears the blame for that decision.”
The UAW statement slammed the previous North American Free Trade Agreement, arguing the working class were the ones facing the brunt of its negative impacts. “We want to see corporate America, from the auto industry and beyond, recommit to the working class,” the UAW statement added.
The labor union said they have been engaging in active negotiations with Trump to bring an end to what the UAW described as an ongoing “free trade disaster,” and plan to help continue to shape the administration’s auto tariffs to ensure they benefit the working class.
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“We want to see serious action that will incentivize companies to change their behavior, reinvest in America, and stop cheating the American worker, the American consumer, and the American taxpayer,” the group said in their statement.
Despite the UAW’s support for Trump’s tariff plans, other auto industry experts remain skeptical of the president’s actions.
“You just can’t relocate automotive production and the supply chain overnight,” said John Bozzella, who heads the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, according to Reuters. “That’s the challenge and the dilemma: auto tariffs in North America could end up increasing costs on consumers before jobs come back to the country.”
Bozzella’s concern that auto manufacturers would have a difficult time pivoting at the drop of a hat was echoed by Erik Gordon, a business school professor at the University of Michigan. Bozzella argued “years of work and tens of millions of dollars can go out the window” if the government’s policy presents too radical of a change too quickly.
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A litany of the globe’s biggest automakers have also released a slew of statements challenging the claims that Trump’s tariffs will be good for the auto industry.
“We strongly urge the U.S. government to reconsider its decision to impose tariffs, which is already affecting American jobs, economic growth, and families across the country,” a statement from Volkswagen Group says. “The tariffs are having a devastating impact on the automotive industry and are increasing costs, disrupting supply chains, harming American dealerships, and reducing vehicle affordability for consumers.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the UAW for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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