The president Joe Biden he reminded… trade unionist, as he went today to a strike picket of the auto industry in Michigan, a move that was described as “historic” by the White House since it is the first time that a sitting president has participated in a strike action.

Wearing a cap with the UAW logo, the Democratic president addressed the strikers through a megaphone. He referred to the “sacrifices” made to save the sector during the financial crisis of 2008 and estimated that entitled to a “significant increase” in their salary.

This presidential support for a strike action, which has pitted workers against the three giants of the sector, the automakers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, reminds of close ties that Biden had developed with unions throughout his political career. It’s also a sign of the importance attached to the state of Michigan ahead of the 2024 presidential election, in which Biden could face Republican Donald Trump again.

Earlier, workers eagerly awaited Biden outside the gate of the Wayne plant, where about a dozen strikers joined the picket line amid banners with slogans such as “Save the American Dream” and a fire smoldering under an awning.

“It’s terrible, it’s an important support because he (Biden) believes in what we’re fighting for, I feel very proud,” one of the strikers, Patrick Smoller, told AFP.

With his visit today, Biden caught up with Trump, who intended to go to the same state tomorrow Wednesday to secure the support of workers, on whom he hopes to rely to win a second term in the White House. Trump, who had announced his trip to Michigan before Biden, accused the Democratic president that he is copying him. His adviser, Jason Miller, said Biden’s visit was “just a trivial photo opportunity.”

Trump had won Michigan in the 2016 presidential election, but in 2020 this State voted for Biden.

For Biden, the goal is to prove that he is the president of the working class, the champion of unions and the pioneer of industrial renaissance in the US. But the 80-year-old president, who is trailing Trump in the polls and facing questions about his fitness at every move, is also walking a tightrope: the continued strike could prove very damaging to the US economy.

Biden has said many times publicly that automakers should share the “record profits” they’re making with their workers. When asked if the president is siding with the strikes, the White House spokeswoman insisted that Biden above all wants a deal between employers and workers that benefits everyone “We are not involved in the negotiations,” he insisted.

Tomorrow Wednesday, Trump will speak outside a factory where parts are made in Clinton Township, Michigan, about 60 kilometers from Wayne, where Biden was today.