President Joe Biden made an odd statement on social media about labor unions on Sunday.

“A lot of politicians have trouble saying the word union. I’m not one of them,” the 46th president posted to X.

This remark was unusual because of its resemblance to a campaign statement. Biden is no longer running for re-election having dropped out of the race during his July COVID isolation after his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Likewise, Biden has only made a few physical appearances at campaign stops for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Moreover, Biden has had strained relationships with many labor organizations, such as the UAW. During the most recent auto worker strike, former UAW president Bob King said in an interview, “UAW members feel abandoned by the Democratic Party.”

After King’s statement, it took Biden weeks to publicly repair his relationship with autoworkers and appear with them on a picket line.

Both political parties have been courting labor unions recently, and this phenomenon has been especially evident since each major party completed its national conventions earlier this summer.

Teamster president Sean O’Brien addressed the Republican Party on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Later, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), declared from the podium, “We need a leader who’s not in the pocket of big business but answers to the working man — union and non-union.”

Vance has been a longtime supporter of many actions by organized labor, including the UAW strike. He supported the unionists and took aim at their common enemy, the Biden administration’s transition of the federal fleet to electric vehicles.

“I support the UAW’s demand for higher wages, but there is a 6,000-pound elephant in the room: the premature transition to electric vehicles. While EV supply chains are still heavily concentrated in China, the Biden administration … sends billions to that industry every year. While most Americans want to drive a gas-powered car, the Biden administration pursues a policy explicitly designed to increase the cost of gas. …” Vance said in a 10-part tweet thread.

Later, he added, “I am among the most pro-labor Republicans in the US Senate. Most auto workers understand that Biden policies are destroying the American car industry, and this moment presents an opportunity for UAW leadership to change course.”

Meanwhile, Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate has been widely reported as a gesture to unions. Walz’s first campaign stop without the vice president was at a Los Angeles convention of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees on August 13.

“Minnesota is pro-labor and will ALWAYS be pro-labor on my watch. We can’t afford to have leaders who undermine unions and workers,” he tweeted in 2022.

Both Walz and Vance appeared before the International Association of Firefighters at the end of August, attempting to court the union’s vote.

As both parties court the support of labor unions, red states such as Texas have seen a surge in unionization. Around 70,000 Texans joined a union last year, bringing the Lone Star State’s total union membership to 586,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure will likely continue to climb as 2024 has brought another wave of successful unionization efforts at Starbucks stores in Hurst and Farmers Branch and around 20 other locations.

Similarly, The Texas Tribune and the non-profit animal shelter Austin Pets Alive recently voted to unionize.

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