Teamsters President Sean O’Brien just put Democratic leadership on notice, and he didn’t mince words.
After Kamala Harris’s stinging defeat in the presidential election, O’Brien suggested it might be time for the old guard—namely Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer—to take a step back and let the party reevaluate its priorities. Given the Teamsters’ sway over the American labor force, O’Brien’s call for fresh faces to lead the Democratic Party hits hard, especially since the union chose to remain neutral in the election despite rank-and-file support for Donald Trump.
O’Brien’s criticism wasn’t just about losing an election; he zeroed in on a bigger issue: the Democrats’ failure to connect with working-class Americans. In an interview with Neil Cavuto, O’Brien was clear about the split among his members: a significant portion backed Trump, even if a chunk still leaned Democrat.
But instead of doubling down on bread-and-butter issues that matter to union families—jobs, wages, and opportunity—the Democrats focused on, as O’Brien put it, “social issues” in what he saw as an “economic election.”
As O’Brien sees it, the party of the working class should actually be addressing working-class issues, not just talking a good game on the convention stage. And it’s not like he’s speaking from the sidelines.
In August, O’Brien notably skipped out on the Democratic convention after addressing the Republican convention a month earlier—a move that didn’t go unnoticed. When Cavuto asked him why, O’Brien’s answer was simple: he wanted politicians to focus on working people, not just empty promises and political theater.
“We want results, not excuses,” O’Brien stated, summing up what he believes union members and working-class Americans have been craving for years now. And if either party doesn’t step up, O’Brien says he’s ready to build a “machine” to support leaders who will, making it clear that the Teamsters aren’t just going to sit on the sidelines for the next four years. It’s an ultimatum to politicians of both stripes, with Republicans poised to step in as the new champions of the working class—if they can deliver.
But O’Brien reserved his sharpest criticism for the Democrats’ leadership. He argued that it’s time for Pelosi and Schumer to “take a look in the mirror,” suggesting they might be past their expiration date as champions of the working class. For the Democrats to win back union workers, he implied, they’ll need fresh leadership that doesn’t just pay lip service to economic issues but makes them a priority.
“They’ve got a lot of soul-searching to do,” O’Brien said, stressing that the Democratic Party has veered away from issues that matter to families trying to put food on the table, save for the future, and live the American dream.
In a particularly pointed comment, O’Brien hinted that Pelosi and Schumer might want to take a page out of Joe Biden’s book and start considering retirement, suggesting that maybe they’ve accomplished what they could and should make way for new leadership. “We all have pensions for a reason,” he noted, as a subtle nudge that perhaps the time has come for the old guard to enjoy theirs.
With voices like O’Brien’s calling for a shift in priorities, the Democrats are being pressed from all sides to choose: will they focus on real economic issues, or will they keep doubling down on policies that are increasingly alienating the very workers they claim to represent? If the Democrats don’t make serious changes, it looks like Republicans are more than ready to pick up the slack. And given the Teamsters’ frustration, this isn’t just a threat—it’s a wake-up call.
