Teamsters decline presidential endorsement for first time in decades, after members back Trump

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Wednesday declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump and chose to sit out the presidential election, marking the first time first time since 1996 that it did not endorse a candidate.

“Neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business," Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien told The Hill.

“We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries — and to honor our members’ right to strike — but were unable to secure those pledges,” he went on.

The union's decision represents a major blow to Harris, as union voters have typically been a major Democratic constituency.

Its refusal to endorse a candidate, however, follows polling that showed members of the union overwhelmingly preferred former President Donald Trump.

O'Brien himself spoke at the Republican National Convention earlier this year and Trump has long sought to win over union voters with pledges to preserve American domestic industry.

"While the Executive Board of the Teamsters is making no formal endorsement, the vast majority of rank-and-file working men and women in this important organization want President Donald Trump back in the White House," the Trump campaign said in a press release.