On September 26, Joe Biden joined striking auto workers in Michigan to become the first sitting U.S. president to stand on a picket line. He did this to make a bold plea for working-class votes against Donald Trump, his likely election rival.
The Democrat said into a bullhorn to red-shirted workers, wearing baseball caps from the United Auto Workers (UAW), that they deserved "a hell of a lot more than what you're getting."
He made a brief but significant trip the day before former Republican president Trump visits to Michigan, the historic epicentre of the American auto industry and a crucial battleground for the 2024 election.
"They're doing incredibly well and guess what, you should be doing incredibly well too," Biden addressed, as union members waved placards.
Biden urged Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis to "step up for us" while wearing a blue zip-up shirt with the presidential identity.
After that, Biden shook hands with union members while being closely watched by Secret Service agents and nodded in agreement when asked if workers should receive a 40% rise.
After giving the American president a fist bump, Carolyn Nippa, 51, an inventory control worker at the GM facility, said, "It meant a lot."
"It's very historic."
(Photos:AP/AFP/Reuters)
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