Trump is not the labor president he claims to be
His words get cheered at rallies, but his policies dismantle worker protections.
Government should exist to ensure people have a fair shot—not just the wealthy or the well-connected, but the millions who are the heartbeat of America. To be that voice, leaders must defend worker rights, protect their health, and invest in their future. Donald Trump, during his rallies, fashioned himself as that champion. “I’ve dealt with unions my whole life,” he said. “I have a great relationship with unions.” He posed with miners, praising “beautiful, clean coal,” framing himself as a protector of labor.
But governing is not rally rhetoric. And when Trump got power, his policies quietly unraveled that narrative.
More than 1 million federal employees had their collective bargaining rights stripped away with when Trump signed a sweeping executive order on March 27. Overnight, roughly 80 percent of unionized federal workers across more than 30 agencies—including Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Health and Human Services—lost their voice at the table, the ability to negotiate over workplace safety, staffing, and fair pay. Just weeks earlier, he had separately canceled the Transportation Security Administration’s union contract, targeting another 50,000 officers. That move was so thinly justified that a federal judge called the administration’s reasoning “threadbare” and unlawful. These weren’t compromises. They were power plays masquerading as reform.
Investing in people isn’t philanthropy. It’s smart policy. Studies show that when young people have jobs, they’re less likely to commit crimes and far more likely to contribute to the economy. When seniors can keep working, they can stay healthier and more independent. As an investor, that would seem to be a good return for Trump. But he’s done the opposite. He proposed over $2 billion in cuts to the Department of Labor—most notably the proposal to outright eliminate Job Corps, a program that gives at-risk youth housing, vocational training, and a path forward. His administration is proposing terminating the Senior Community Service Employment Program—more than $400 million that helps low-income seniors find work and keep living. And he’s not putting those resources back into people. He’s lumping programs together in a way that still cuts more than $1.5 billion from worker training.
Then there are coal miners. In April, Trump stood in front of them at the White House, trumpeting his support for the industry. Yet, behind the scenes, the program that screens them for black lung disease—a fatal lung disease that afflicts up to 1 in 5 career miners—was gutted: staff laid off, mobile clinics parked and unused, safety rules delayed. These health protections don’t show up in campaign applause lines—but when they vanish, so does real access to care. Anita Wolfe, a former mobile clinic worker, said it best: “It comes down to how much is a life worth…. You want more coal, but you don’t care about the coal miners and what’s happening to them.”
Trump’s words pick up cheers; his policies dismantle protections. Praise for unions paired with union-crushing ultimatums. Job-creation rhetoric married to deep cuts in job training. Miner flattery coupled with health program decimation.
Trump claims he wants to create an environment friendly for investment. But until that investment is in people—not just the assets that enrich the powerful—his promise to create wealth rings hollow. On Labor Day, let’s remember: It isn’t politicians or corporations who keep this country running. It’s the people who build it, teach it, mine it, and serve it. And under Trump, they’re not getting what they bargained for—nor the rights to bargain in the first place.
Dan Koh is founder and CEO of Reverate Media, an organization focused on closing the information gap in the digital media space. He is the host of The People’s Cabinet, a media platform and podcast focused on cutting through the noise and explaining clearly the top issues in politics today. He is a former White House deputy assistant to the president, deputy director of Intergovernmental Affairs, special assistant to the president, deputy Cabinet secretary at the White House, chief of staff at the United States Department of Labor, and chief operating officer of HqO. Find him on Substack at The People's Cabinet.
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It's not only the disregard for worker bargaining power and employment in areas that need to be funded. There is also a decimation ongoing of alternate energy such as wind, solar, thermal that would not only be a source of jobs but is vital to the preservation and existence of our planet. He is encouraging fossil fuels and forest stripping instead. Destroying our planet is just not a subject this administration cares about. Climate change is being not only ignored, but abetted, while solutions are sabotaged. This is what is being handed to our generations which, at this rate, may not be that many more.
Trump isn't the president for any of his promises, he's not even the immigration president. We also knew long before the election and inauguration that he wouldn't be because even following through on his most heinous plans fully would require some degree of brain function, commitment and focused thought. His lack of these characteristics are just part of a long list of faults. And he didn't have any of these things even before his dementia started kicking in. His current priorities are, apparently, getting a convicted felon out of prison and getting Roger Clemens into the Hall Of Fame. Not to mention the fat slob is calling J.B. Pritzker a fat slob. Pritzker may be overweight but at least he seems to be able to find clothes that fit unlike Trump. Trumps one skill is knowing what MAGA world wants. He doesn't mean any of what he tells them and, even if he did, he wouldn't be able to accomplish any of it. Though he does have a knack for doing just enough to make things much worse than they were before.