Union leadership did everything possible to stop Donald Trump from winning the presidency. Union leaders were unreasonable by endorsing Trump’s opponents. They did not act in the best interests of their membership, who overwhelmingly supported Trump.

Trump should remember his friends, the union workers, and not reward his opponents, the union leadership, with the same policies promised by President Biden.

The controversy over the purchase of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel is an example of union leaders running amok. USA Today reported on November 7, “Union workers who defied their organizations’ endorsements of Democrat Kamala Harris and instead voted for Republican Donald Trump helped hand him his victory in the manufacturing belt.”

Steelworkers were critical, and they organized for Trump. At the same time, United Steelworkers leadership endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris the day after Biden dropped out of the race. There is a disconnect between the leadership and rank-and-file union workers.

Biden promised the Steelworkers leadership that he would block a proposed purchase of U.S. Steel by the Japan-based Nippon Steel. This is despite steelworkers rallying in favor of the deal in September. If the deal is blocked, Nippon Steel’s $2.7 billion commitment to improve the company will vanish, with jobs.

It is an outrage that a promise from Biden to the union for its support would have led to suffering for steelworkers. Trump understands the art of the deal and should walk back any opposition to an agreement that is good for the American economy, workers and national security.

U.S. Steel Corp. was founded in 1901 and is a leading steel producer in the United States. The company provides steel for cars, construction, energy, packing and appliances. Also, steel is a crucial part of the military infrastructure. This deal may save a company in dire need of resources to keep afloat.

The Nippon Steel transaction will allow U.S. Steel to continue to use blast furnaces that preserve jobs. Furthermore, if this deal falls through, the American steel industry may lose a significant producer of steel, shifting reliance on imported steel. An economic study from 2023 estimated that U.S. Steel’s Pennsylvania plants produced $3.6 billion in economic activity with 11,417 jobs. The company also provided $130 million in state and local revenues. The deal is good for many reasons.

Trump is a disruptor, and he should take a hard look at how Biden converted the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) from a national security protector to a trade police. CFIUS was set up as “an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States and certain real estate transactions by foreign persons, in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States.” Biden has used the entity to regulate trade at the behest of unions.

If CFIUS continues to do Biden’s bidding, it will ruin the process established to protect national security from bad deals coming from China. The tool has been undermined by Biden and should be restored to a tool of national security by Trump. This was to secure the endorsements by promising to block a deal that benefits union workers. No wonder those workers abandoned the Democratic Party.

Some opposition comes from those who fear that a Japanese company helping to keep an American steel company afloat somehow hurts national security. Nippon Steel is a proven global leader in steel production and has invested in other facilities in the United States with no negative consequences touching on national security. The idea that jobs may be lost if this deal goes through ignores that jobs will be lost if this deal is blocked. U.S. Steel is struggling and desperately needs an infusion of cash to return to being a leading steel producer.

Trump is a businessman at heart, and he will understand that this deal is a good one. It is time for Republicans to look at the election results to know that they need to ignore union leadership and talk directly to the union workers. They are the ones who get hurt if this deal is blocked by union leadership.

Judson Phillips is the founder of Tea Party Nation. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.