Trump will skip second GOP debate to give speech to striking workers in Detroit

Donald Trump He is expected to skip the upcoming second Republican presidential debate and address a crowd of union members Detroit amid the ongoing car strike, adviser to the former president told The New York Times.

The snub comes after Mr Trump skipped the first one GOP Last month, I opted out of the debate of the season and instead chose to do an in-depth interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson that aired on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The former president, who is well ahead of the crowded Republican field in the polls, has played down the importance of the debates.

“The public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I have had, with energy independence, strong borders and military, the largest tax and regulatory cuts ever, no inflation, the strongest economy in history and much more,” he wrote on Truth Social in August. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT CONDUCT THE DEBATE!”

The lack of a debate presence has done little to dent his status as the front-runner.

A national average of polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight shows Mr. Trump with more than four times as much support as his closest rivalFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with a projected support of 55.5 percent among Republican voters.

The union speech could be an attempt to further weaken support among workers, a traditional Democratic support bloc.

Nearly 150,000 auto workers represented by the United Autoworkers went on strike last week, accusing the “Big Three” Detroit automakers of failing to offer wage increases that kept pace with executive compensation and company profits.

“For the last 40 years, the billionaire class has taken everything and left everyone else to fight for the rest,” said UAW President Shawn Fain said in a speech last week. “We are not the problem. Corporate greed is the problem.”

After the 2008 financial crisis, Detroit automakers underwent extensive restructuring as part of the federal financial rescue effort.

Part of that restructuring included sweeping changes to working conditions, including a two-tier, tenure-based pay system, an increase in temporary staffing, and the end of defined benefit pensions – all issues the union wants to address with its demands.

“Part of what motivates [wage increases] “There is an interest in workers sharing in the success that the company has experienced in a way that seems appropriate to the way in which management has been involved in that success,” said Sharon Block , executive director of the Harvard Law School Center for Work and a Fair Economy, Vox said. “If you think of it as an increase that represents a fair share of the profits of three recently very profitable companies, it might look different.”