Teamsters Make First GOP Donation in Two Decades

In a notable departure for the influential organized labor group, the Teamsters’ PAC has given $45,000 to the Republican National Committee for the first time in 20 years, The Washington Post reported.

According to the report, this donation is the first one the union has made to the RNC since 2004, when it gave $15,000. However, the Teamsters also contributed to the Democratic National Committee, giving $135,000 in December and $15,000 in March.

Citing federal records, the Post reported that the donation to the RNC, which was the maximum amount allowed from the union’s political action committee, was made the same day former President Donald Trump met with the union’s leadership for the second time in January.

An RNC official, speaking with the Post under condition of anonymity, stated that the organization has not yet received a check or heard from the Teamsters about a forthcoming donation.

This donation to the RNC has caused controversy among some of the union’s more left-leaning leaders and members, despite Trump’s popularity among a significant portion of the rank and file, according to the Post.

The union, which represents approximately 1.3 million UPS and other transportation workers, endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Joe Biden in 2020, but has not yet endorsed anyone for president in 2024.

Biden has frequently highlighted his strong labor union ties, with his biggest wins for the labor movement including approving trillions in infrastructure, semiconductor, and climate spending that incentivize hiring union workers, as well as appointing a labor advocate to head the National Labor Relations Board.

John Palmer, a Teamsters executive board member, expressed concern to the Post, stating that the donation to the RNC looks like a “tacit endorsement of Trump,” and that the union has never done anything like this before during his time on the board.

Trump himself mentioned he had a “good shot” at receiving the union’s endorsement after a meeting in late January at the Teamsters’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. However, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien also stated at the same news conference that the Biden administration had “been great for unions,” and added that the Teamsters had “some more questions that need to be asked to both candidates.”