President Joe Biden met Wednesday with the executive council of the AFL-CIO, America’s largest federation of trade unions, in an effort to shore up support from a critical constituency as he beats back continued calls to step aside in the 2024 campaign. “I think of you as my domestic NATO — not a joke,” the 81-year-old Democrat told the crowd gathered at headquarters. He extolled the power of unions and told them of his longstanding support for them, telling the crowd even Wall Street was acknowledging the power of unions, as he once again articulated his vision for an economy built “from the bottom up and middle out.” “I said I’m going to be the most pro-union president in American history,” Biden told the cheering crowd. “Well guess what? I am.” The AFL-CIO said the president has been booked to attend the meeting for more than a year, but his participation now involves much higher scrutiny after his weak debate performance against Donald Trump raised fears about his ability to compete in November’s election. His sit-down with union officials also overlaps with the NATO summit in Washington, where Biden is navigating geopolitics with other world leaders. Biden spoke with a handheld mic and no teleprompter in sight. He thanked the union leaders for their support, and outlined his plans for the future seeking to cast aside doubt over his reelection campaign. Biden is close to many union leaders who were in room, and considers AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler to be a personal friend. In announcing Biden, Shuler told the room he has supported jobs, manufacturing and created good union jobs in clean energy. She flat out told the president that he had union’s support. “You’ve always had our back — we have your back,” Shuler said to the president. The council is composed of more than 50 officials from the unions that compose the AFL-CIO, with the group representing 12.5 million union members. So far, the unions are sticking with the Biden administration despite widespread fears that his age handicaps his candidacy after his shaky performance in the June 27 debate. But some statements of support are also worded diplomatically to suggest a degree of flexibility in case Biden chooses to drop out — saying they back the Biden-Harris administration and not just Biden personally. After Biden was interviewed by ABC News last week in the aftermath of his poor debate, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, posted on X: “Biden is an incredible President and tonight we saw that he’s on top of the details. He has my support and we’re ready to keep working for Biden-Harris to win in November.” Some union leaders have been more targeted in their support for Biden and his continued candidacy. United Steelworkers International President David McCall said before Wednesday’s meeting that his union “proudly supports” Biden, saying that his “record of delivering for working people stands for itself.” Kenneth Cooper, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, was also firmly behind Biden, saying that his union members “couldn’t ask for a stronger advocate.” Wednesday’s meeting has become a test of the union movement’s strategy to emphasize Biden’s policy agenda as a way to overcome doubts about his candidacy. Biden routinely holds his events at union halls. He has […]