The United Autoworkers Union (UAW) on Tuesday said it filed federal labor charges against former President Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for allegedly attempting to threaten and intimidate workers during their Monday night discussion on Musk's X platform.
The comments in question occurred after Trump was discussing his efforts to reduce spending on the new Air Force One by renegotiating with Boeing, the lead contractor on the project, which prompted Musk to suggest the creation of a government efficiency commission that he then volunteered to participate in.
"I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things and ensures that the taxpayer money – the taxpayer's hard-earned money – is spent in a good way. And I'd be happy to help out on such a commission if it were formed," Musk said.
"You're the greatest cutter. I mean I look at what you do, you walk in and you just say, 'You wanna quit?' 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,'" Trump replied.
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Federal law prohibits companies from firing workers who participate in a strike whether they're members of a union or not.
The UAW said in a statement that Trump and Musk violated federal labor laws protecting striking workers with their comments.
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"When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement. "When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean."
"Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a super PAC to get him elected. Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It's disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns," Fain added.
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Fain and the UAW have historically supported Democratic candidates and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's main rival for the presidency.
Musk's Tesla is a non-union automaker that the UAW has set its sights on unionizing in the future.
Musk has endorsed Trump's campaign and has contributed to a super PAC that supports it, though he has pushed back on claims he's giving $45 million a month and said his donations are at a "much lower level."
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FOX Business reached out to Tesla for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
