Donald Trump adopted Sanders’ attacks on Clinton after the largest labor union in the country endorsed the Democratic front-runner Thursday.
The American Federation of Labor, AFl-CIO, is one of the largest unions in the country representing 12.5 million members across multiple industries and other smaller unions. After voting to formally endorse Clinton, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka stated “Hillary Clinton is a proven leader who shares our values.”
“Clinton is totally owned by Wall Street, OK?” Trump said in a speech shortly after the endorsement was released. “I believe that (the workers) will be voting for me in much larger numbers than expected.”
Trump later added, “Bernie Sanders is also 100 percent correct when he says Clinton voted for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers in this country millions of jobs.” Trump also attacked the AFL-CIO leadership, saying that its leaders “have become part of the rigged system in Washington that only benefits the insiders.”
Democratic Candidate Bernie Sanders continues to use the same language, saying that the economy is rigged against the working class. Although this is hardly the first instance of Trump adopting Sanders’ language of a rigged economy, this is the first time that Trump has used it to explicitly try and tear Democratic voters away from Clinton as he shifts into the general election.
Trump stated that he thinks that he can get around union leadership, and talk directly to the rank and file members who work to make a living every day. Trump added the AFL-CIO “no longer represents American workers.”
According to an open secrets survey, the vast majority of payments that the interest group makes goes to other political organizations that fund politicians directly. Once all of the dust settles, a full 90 percent or more per year goes to fund Democratic Party candidates over Republicans.
In addition to the formal endorsement, the AFL-CIO will also be raising a considerable national army to advocate for “issue-advocacy” on behalf of Clinton. This particular classification means that money spent doesn’t count as a political donation to the candidate.
Trump’s decision to double down on Sanders’ attacks on Clinton could help gain Democratic voters. At a Bernie rally in the District of Columbia last week, supporters told the Daily Caller that if Sanders didn’t win the nomination, they would most likely vote for Trump. Coupled with a strong libertarian candidate and a strong green party candidate, strong anti-Clinton sentiment could take enough away from Clinton’s potential voters to ensure Trump emerges as the victor after November.
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