Some attendees at Donald Trump’s speech about the auto workers’ strike on Wednesday appeared to be henchmen carrying signs misidentifying them as union members. the Detroit News reported.
One person held a sign that read “Union Members for Trump,” but admitted to the newspaper that he was not a union member. Another carried a placard reading “Auto Workers for Trump” and admitted he was not an auto worker when the newspaper asked for an interview. None of them identified themselves.
Trump visited Michigan to show solidarity with striking members of the United Auto Workers, but instead stoked fears about electric cars among the crowd at a non-union auto supplier. He warned workers that they would be unemployed in a few years even if they secured the salary increases they were seeking.
“Your current negotiations don’t mean as much as you think,” he said.
The affiliation of the guests who received his message was questioned. The company, Drake Enterprises, in suburban Detroit, employs about 150 people who are not represented by the UAW, the newspaper said. And there were an estimated 400 to 500 visitors in attendance.
Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, called Trump’s rally at a non-union store a “pathetic irony.” Daily Beast reported.
Trump has faced mass controversy before. His exaggerated boasts about attending his 2017 inauguration led to a false start to his presidency.