‘A slap in the face’: progressive anger as Teamsters union chief meets Trump

Leftwing members of 1.3m-strong labor union unhappy with Sean O’Brien for private meeting with Republican frontrunner

In an unexpected political convergence, Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters union, announced he had met privately with Donald Trump – raising questions about who the Teamsters will endorse in 2024 and drawing anger from the union’s progressive members.

The meeting came amid efforts by Joe Biden and the thinning field of Republican challengers, led by Trump, to appeal to workers and labor organizations. And it followed three years of declarations from Biden and his administration that it would deliver to workers the most pro-union presidency in US history.