United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said he supports President Trump’s tariffs on autos, calling them a “tool,” but noted that the union’s other stances don’t “go out the window.”
Fain joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where he highlighted how he hopes Trump’s tariffs on car imports will bring more auto manufacturing back to the United States and provide people with good-paying jobs.
“Tariffs are a tool in the toolbox,” he said. “They’re not the end all solution. We have to fix the broken trade system.”
While Fain called the tariffs a “motivator,” he cautioned that like for other administrations, he won’t throw out his other values.
“There’s been no change in where we stand politically as a union and … what our stance is,” Fain said. “Look, we’ve been very clear since day one of my administration … we have expectations.”
“Endorsements are earned, but at the end of the day … we’re not partisan to any one party here,” he said, later adding, “Just because we find common ground on tariffs or on trade doesn’t mean that everything else goes out the window.”
Fain was a supporter of former President Biden after he visited the picket line with striking autoworkers and his efforts for the middle class.
Earlier this week, Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on foreign made cars and auto parts. It will go into effect on Wednesday.
While Fain celebrated the news, highlighting how he hopes manufacturing will tick up domestically, there’s concern that prices are going to rise for Americans and end up hurting the U.S. industry.
