Biden will go to Michigan to meet with United Auto Workers members

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will visit Michigan on Thursday as he rallies support from union members in a key battleground state where he’s faced sharp criticism from Arab and Muslim leaders over his handling of the war in Gaza.

The upcoming travel was disclosed by a Biden campaign official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a trip that had not been formally announced.

The Democratic president plans to meet with members of the United Auto Workers, which endorsed Biden last week during an event in Washington. Biden previously joined union members on their picket line in Michigan when they were striking for better pay from the country’s largest automakers.

“I’m honored to have your back and you have mine,” Biden said. Shawn Fain, the union president, said that Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, “doesn’t care about the American worker.”

Biden won Michigan in 2020, but a repeat victory has been thrown in doubt, partially because of anger over his support for Israel’s military operation in Gaza. Some Arab American leaders declined to attend a meeting with Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, on Friday.

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Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.