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Trump dubbed ‘anti-union scab’ in 19 Labor Day billboards using UAW union boss’s putdown

Democrats ran a similar billboard campaign last week slamming the cost of ‘Donald Trump’s Project 2025’

Katie Hawkinson
Monday 02 September 2024 20:18 BST
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Shawn Fain has a Hulk Hogan moment during speech at DNC

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A new Labor Day billboard campaign has labeled Donald Trump an “anti-union scab”, referencing a major union leader’s speech at the Democratic National Convention last month.

The Democratic National Committee will run 19 digital billboards in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania this Labor Day. The billboards, which will appear in both English and Spanish, feature a photo of Trump with the caption, “Trump’s an anti-union scab!”

The billboards are an homage to United Autoworkers Union President Shawn Fain’s appearance at the DNC in Chicago, Illinois last month. During his speech at the convention, Fain wore a shirt that read, “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris”.

“We were really kind of channeling Shawn Fain with that choice,” Brad Woodhouse, a senior adviser to the DNC, told HuffPost.

UAW President Shawn Fain wore a shirt at the DNC that read, ‘Trump is a scab. Vote Harris’
UAW President Shawn Fain wore a shirt at the DNC that read, ‘Trump is a scab. Vote Harris’ (Getty)

The billboards have been strategically placed by considering the potential route of a Trump motorcade – which could draw crowds near the billboards – and how much traffic the areas see, Woodhouse told the outlet.

“Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz, a former union member himself, know that workers are the engine powering this country, and that’s why they have always had their backs,” DNC spokesperson Maddy Mundy said in a statement.

“In contrast, Trump is a union buster who sought to withhold pay from union workers and weaken unions as president in order to fatten the pockets of multi-billionaire executives who donate to his campaign,” Mundy continued.

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.

The DNC has paid for digital billboards that say, “Trump’s an anti-union scab” in three major swing states
The DNC has paid for digital billboards that say, “Trump’s an anti-union scab” in three major swing states (Democratic National Committee)

Last week, The Independent exclusively reported that Democrats in Michigan and Wisconsin also erected billboards highlighting Trump’s potential cost to Americans if he’s elected for a second term.

The English and Spanish billboards said, “Donald Trump’s Project 2025” will “raise taxes on middle-class families by $3,900”.

Project 2025 is a 900-page document developed by the Heritage Foundation, a far-right think tank, that lays out a blueprint for Trump’s potential second term.

The document proposes a massive overhaul of the government, including replacing thousands of bureaucrats with politicos loyal to Trump, stripping civil rights from LGBTQ+ people, destroying access to reproductive healthcare, and slashing key federal agencies.

Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from the project and denied any involvement. However, at least 140 people who worked for Trump were part of Project 2025, CNN reported earlier this summer.

These billboard campaigns come less than ten weeks before Election Day on November 5.

Vice-President Kamala Harris has a 3.2-point lead over Trump, according to the latest average of national polls. The vice-president has a growing lead in six major swing states, including those that will feature the new Labor Day billboards.

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