Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), invoked rapper Nelly at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday night while riling up the crowd that was celebrating Vice President Harris’ nomination for the White House.
Fain, who said he was “honored” to endorse Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, drew a vigorous response from the crowd gathered in Chicago on the first night of the four-day conference.
The union leader responded to the crowd’s energy with an unexpected pop culture reference.
“To quote the great American poet Nelly, ‘It’s getting hot here,'” Fain said to cheers.
“It’s hot here. It’s hot here because people are agitated and annoyed,” he said, adding: “The American working class is fighting for its life.”
Fain has long been an outspoken critic of Harris’ Republican rival, Donald Trump, and the UAW endorsed Harris in July. The union released a video earlier this week criticizing Trump as “all talk” about workers’ rights.
The UAW president repeated those remarks in his speech Monday night, arguing that Harris is the best choice for the working class.
“Donald Trump laughs at the firing of striking workers,” Fain said Monday night. “And Kamala Harris stands shoulder to shoulder with the workers when they strike.”
Harris and Walz met with UAW workers in Michigan last week. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly slammed Fain, once calling him a “stupid human being.”
The UAW’s appearance at the convention comes at a time when both parties are trying to gain ground among working-class voters, especially in the Rust Belt states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
