UAW endorsement of Biden becomes a talking point in president's primetime speech Thursday

President Joe Biden addressed concerns that the United Auto Workers union was wavering in its support of the incumbent during the pivotal NATO press conference on Thursday.

Reuters reported that the UAW executive board, including President Shawn Fein, met late Thursday to express concerns over the President's ability to win in November.

When asked about the report in a question from a Reuters reporter, the President noted that the union endorsed him and touted his economic record.

USA TODAY reached out to UAW for comment on the report and did not receive a response as of publishing.

Biden and UAW

Biden has long touted his union bona fides, calling himself, "the most pro-union President."

Biden became the first sitting president to join a picket line in September 2023, walking with striking General Motors workers in Michigan.

"Our president chose to stand up with workers in our fight for economic and social justice," Fain said at the time. "It’s a historic day, a historic moment in time."

The union endorsed Biden in January. "Donald Trump stands against everything we stand for as a society," Fain said in his endorsement of Biden.

Biden and the labor market

Over 14.7 million jobs have been created since Biden took office in 2021, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The labor market has nearly 6 million more jobs as of April, the last month with complete data, than before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in March of 2020.

"Name a world leader that wouldn't want to trade places with our economy," Biden said.

The press conference came on the day inflation numbers came in under expectations, led by a drop in gas prices, and a Friday jobs report showed that 206,000 new jobs were created in June.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did UAW endorse Biden? Labor union's support of President in focus