The Left is losing their grip on America. They don’t know what to do.
And now Democrats are panicking after a huge ally jumped ship.
Here’s the fresh rewrite, keeping all quotes unchanged and sharpening the tone:
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A top labor union leader stunned many by lavishing praise on President-elect Donald Trump, admitting Trump proved him wrong and showed that Republicans can, in fact, stand up for the working class.
Dennis Daggett, executive vice president of the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) — the union that brought ports to a halt with a strike earlier this year — described his recent meeting with Trump as *“an experience I never imagined in my wildest dreams.”*
“This man truly wants to fight for America and its working class. In over 25 years of working in Washington, I have never seen a Republican take up the mantle for working-class people. President-elect Trump proved me wrong yesterday,” Daggett wrote on Facebook.
“He didn’t just tell us in private that he supports workers — he made it clear to the whole world.”
Daggett, previously hesitant to voice his thoughts on Trump, is part of a union that traditionally aligns with Democrats.
Daggett and his father, ILA President Harold Daggett, met with Trump last Thursday to discuss ongoing negotiations between the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents port operators, shipping companies, and other major employers.
“It’s rare to meet a leader who truly listens, and even rarer to find one who is willing to act,” Daggett said.
“[Trump] was not just attentive to our concerns; he was receptive and genuinely engaged in a discussion about the existential threat automation poses — not only to the Longshore sector but to our communities and the very fabric of this great nation.”
True to form, Trump didn’t stop at words; he quickly zeroed in on one of the union’s biggest grievances — automation.
“I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social following the meeting.
“The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets.”
The ILA had flexed its muscles in October with a three-day strike before securing a temporary agreement that extends contracts until January 15. Sticking points in negotiations remain wages and automation.
Historically, Republicans have been wary of unions, arguing that aggressive labor demands stifle job creation and harm the broader economy. But Trump’s presidency has rewritten the playbook, shifting the Republican Party closer to the working class and adopting a more protectionist stance on trade.
Trump’s outreach to unions has been unmistakable. He made headlines in July by inviting Teamsters boss Sean O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention — a historic first for the union at the GOP’s flagship event.
By September, the Teamsters broke with decades of tradition by refusing to endorse a Democrat for president, a move that sent shockwaves through the political establishment. Internal polling revealed why: a majority of Teamsters’ rank-and-file members backed Trump. While local chapters endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, furious Democrats lashed out at the national leadership for the snub.
Trump continued earning labor’s respect in November when he nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) to lead the Department of Labor.
Chavez-DeRemer is a unique figure in the Republican Party — the only House Republican to sponsor the *Protecting the Right to Organize Act,* which expands benefits for union workers and pushes back against state right-to-work laws that prevent mandatory union membership.
Once again, Trump is defying political norms, earning praise where no Republican has before — from union leaders and working Americans alike.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
