The United Auto Workers union filed federal complaints Tuesday against former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, accusing the duo of attempting to “intimidate and threaten” workers during an interview on the latter’s social media platform X.
Trump returned to X on Monday night for an interview with Musk, who has voiced his support for the Republican presidential candidate. The two-hour conversation between the two billionaires, which began more than a half-hour late due to technical issues, focused on Trump’s views on what he called a “zombie apocalypse.” immigration to his praise for Musk’s labor practices.
During the meeting, both men advocated for the firing of striking workers, the UAW said in a statement. Under the National Labor Relations Act, it is illegal to fire striking workers and to threaten to fire striking workers.
“I mean, I watch what you do,” Trump told Elon Musk Monday night. “You come in, you say, ‘You want to resign?’ They go on strike. I won’t mention the company, but they go on strike, and you say, ‘That’s okay. You’re all gone. You’re all gone. So every single one of you is gone.’”
Trump made the remarks in response to Musk posing as a potential role on a future “government efficiency commission,” with the Republican candidate calling Musk “the biggest cutter.”
Musk did not directly respond to Trump’s comments about striking workers, focusing instead on government spending.
Filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the UAW complaint targets Musk as a representative of Tesla, the electric car company of which Musk is CEO and its largest individual shareholder.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX subsidiary has also challenged the NLRB’s structure, and the rocket maker’s lawsuit is now before a federal appeals court in Texas.
The UAW, which is trying to organize Tesla workers, also recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House bid, while union members met with the Democratic presidential candidate. in Michigan last week.
Shawn Fain: “Disgusting and Illegal Comments”
In a statement, UAW President Shawn Fain denounced the comments, saying that “Trump and Musk both want workers to sit down and shut up, and they are openly laughing about it.” He added: “This is disgusting, illegal and totally predictable coming from these two clowns.”
The AFL-CIO, a federation of 60 national and international unions, offered its own take on the X-rated exchange, posting: “Scabs Recognize Scabs.”
Trump’s campaign called the UAW’s action a “brazen political stunt,” and his senior adviser, Brian Hughes, accused the union of trying to erode what he called “Trump’s overwhelming support among American workers.”
Elon Musk, who has said he has voted Democrat in the past, has thrown his support behind Trump, as well as his wealth. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
