Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, became the first [1] Teamsters boss to speak at the Republican National Convention in the organization’s 121-year history.
Having the leader of the Teamsters at the RNC convention is MASSIVE..
First time in history!
They have close to 1.3 MILLION members and always vote DEM..
The game has changed.. pic.twitter.com/p7ZY1Ssnpl [2]
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) July 16, 2024 [3]
While the Teamsters have typically leaned towards endorsing Democrats in recent years, the Republican Party’s increasingly populist stance opened the door for O’Brien to speak at the RNC as they seek to win union votes in the upcoming election.
I never imagined the President of the Teamsters would ever speak at the Republican National Convention. Yet Biden’s war on the American worker has led us to this historic event.
And, wow, is he ever eloquent. A truly inspiring leader defending the men and women of the USA.
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 16, 2024 [4]
In his address, O’Brien made it clear that the Teamsters are not blindly loyal to any party, stating, “Today, the Teamsters are here to say we are not beholden to anyone or any party. We will create an agenda and work with a bipartisan coalition, ready to accomplish something real for the American worker. And I don’t care about getting criticized.”
O’Brien criticized big businesses like Walmart and Amazon, calling the Chamber of Commerce “unions for big business” and asserting that Washington is failing to protect workers’ interests.
“The American people aren’t stupid. They know the system is broken. We all know how Washington is run. Working people have no chance of winning this fight. That’s why I’m here today, because I refuse to keep doing the same things my predecessors did.” Sean O’Brien
Former President Donald Trump, in his first public appearance since an assassination attempt on Saturday, received a standing ovation when O’Brien mentioned him during the speech. O’Brien’s bold statement, “President Trump is a candidate who is not afraid of hearing from new, loud and often critical voices,” earned enthusiastic applause from the convention hall.
🚨Lee Greenwood gives an incredible introduction to Donald Trump as he enters the RNC Convention 🇺🇸
Grab your tissues. pic.twitter.com/tgrwlCG1K7 [5]
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 16, 2024 [6]
O’Brien revealed that he had requested to speak at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. However, it was President Trump who extended the invitation, highlighting Trump’s openness to diverse perspectives.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien: “I think we all can agree, whether people like him or they don’t like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.” pic.twitter.com/co8G2GTCKO [7]
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) July 16, 2024 [8]
O’Brien emphasized, “President Trump had the backbone to open the doors to this Republican Convention, and that’s unprecedented. No other nominee in the race would have invited the Teamsters into this arena.”
Summing up the Teamsters’ position, O’Brien emphasized that party labels are not a priority, stating, “At the end of the day, the Teamsters aren’t interested if a candidate has a ‘D,’ ‘R,’ or ‘I’ next to his or her name.”
You can watch O’Brien’s full speech below: