Union autoworker predicts blue voting bloc will vote for Trump in 'big numbers': 'He's speaking our language'

Rust Belt autoworkers, traditionally a cornerstone of the blue voting base, are tilting increasingly toward the GOP in a significant political realignment that's leaving Democrats frustrated.

For people like Brian Pannebecker, founder of Auto Workers for Trump 2024, the change isn't too surprising.

"The mainstream media are a little bit late to the game," he said Tuesday on FOX Business' "The Bottom Line."

"This has been going on since the 1980s. Ronald Reagan and the Reagan Revolution gave Macomb County, where I'm from, the political nickname of ‘home of the Reagan Democrats,’ and that was when all the UAW members jumped over and voted for Ronald Reagan, and he won in a landslide. So, this has been going on for 40 years," he continued, referencing the 1984 presidential election from which President Reagan walked away with a 49-state victory.

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Despite the United Auto Workers Union's governing board's decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris this election cycle, many autoworkers like Pannebecker are throwing their support behind former President Trump.

Some are driven by factors like the economy or energy policies. Others are concerned about Harris' support for electric vehicles (EVs) or even longstanding trade policies they believe have negatively impacted their industry.

"The Democrats have been shipping our jobs to Mexico and China for over 40 years, so this process has just come to a head now with Donald Trump, and he's speaking our language. He knows what we want to hear, that he's going to protect our industry before it completely disappears, and we're going to vote for him in big numbers. I'm saying 65 to 70% of the UAW members are pulling the lever for Donald J. Trump," Pannebecker said.

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James Benson, Jr., another union autoworker from Michigan, has voted blue his entire life.

On Wednesday, he told Fox News that's about to change.

"I was a lifelong Democrat, voted for Obama both terms. And you know what? All I saw was more losses and more jobs going overseas. During the Trump administration, nothing but growth and record sales," he told "Fox & Friends" co-host Lawrence Jones.

"At this point, the fake optics don't work anymore. You can't tell us that… the economy's doing great. It's just in your head. You're not hurting. No, we are hurting. All of us are hurting to pay our bills and all those different things, and it's frustrating for us because you hear all these things about, ‘Everybody wants EVs.’ Well, they don't. The sales are abysmal. They sold so many low units of the Lightning… at Ford that they cut production." 

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He claimed the focus on electric vehicles also led to job losses. 

Harris' runningmate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called out labor unions for breaking tradition and failing to support the Democratic ticket this year.

"Some of those leaders did not show the courage they needed to. The vast majority of union leaders showed the courage in backing us," he said while appearing on "The Daily Show," Monday.