WASHINGTON — While discussing government efficiency with Tesla owner Elon Musk on Musk’s social media platform X this week, former President Donald Trump called Musk “the greatest cutter.”
“I mean, I look at what you do,” said Trump. “You walk in and you just say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike. I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, ‘That’s ok. You’re all gone. You’re all gone. So every one of you is gone.’”
Musk can be heard laughing during Trump's comments.
Now the United Auto Workers has filed federal labor charges against the Trump campaign and Tesla.
Documents provided by the UAW claim the two men made and/or adopted statements suggesting they would “fire employees engaged in protected concerted activity, including striking.”
Todd Dunn is president of the UAW Local 862 in Louisville and appeared at a rally this month for Trump’s White House opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, along with other auto workers.
He told Spectrum News that Trump “has proven through this factual moment that happened with Elon Musk that he is not for the American auto worker and he is a non-unionist scab.”
Dunn’s union represents thousands of members, including those at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant who took part in a strike last year that led to a new agreement with Ford.
Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., joined the UAW on the picket line.
“What Elon Musk and Donald Trump always forget is these are people,” Beshear said Thursday. “If they’re talking about firing striking workers, they’re people. They’re families fighting for a better life.”
Workers who go on strike are protected under the National Labor Relations Act.
“These unlawful actions cannot go untouched,” Dunn said. “They have to be hand-checked. We have to make sure that we hold them to the highest accountability. Here they are wanting to be leaders of organizations, leaders of our country. It’s unacceptable.”
A senior advisor with the Trump campaign called the charges “frivolous” and a “shameless political stunt.”
Spectrum News contacted Tesla for comment on the allegations.
