Reason 3: Trump is not a friend of working Americans

When someone claims to have certain qualities, they can usually provide evidence from their past to support their claim. For example, if someone says they are kind, they might point to times when they have helped others, even when it had a negative impact on them. Similarly, if a person claims to be a champion for the American worker, there should be ample evidence to support that claim. In the case of Donald Trump, with his numerous businesses such as hotels, golf resorts, and real estate ventures, it should be easy to find employees and contractors who can attest to his support for workers.

However, it’s deeply concerning that Trump has been involved in a staggering 3,500 lawsuits over the past 30 years, with numerous instances of businesses and their employees not being paid for their work. He has also received twenty-four summons for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by not appropriately compensating workers for minimum wage and overtime. The sheer frequency of these legal battles should raise serious concerns about his commitment to workers’ rights.

These cases involve a wide range of workers, including a dishwasher in Florida and a glass company in New Jersey, along with plumbers, painters, waiters, bartenders, and real estate brokers who have worked at his properties. It’s ironic that even law firms that once represented him have taken legal action against him. The personal stories of these workers, who have been left unpaid and undervalued, should invoke a sense of empathy in all of us.

It’s particularly concerning that Trump has expressed opposition to a $15 minimum wage for essential workers; however, after seeing the benefit of consenting on political points, he did reverse his opinion in future public events. This starkly contradicts his core beliefs, as seen in the Project 2025 initiative, specifically written for his next term, which supports rejecting federally mandated minimum wages and advocating for corporations and businesses to determine what constitutes a fair wage. That has ominous ramifications for all Americans when we allow greedy companies the opportunity to band together to decide what they feel is worthy.

Despite his claims to be a champion of workers, numerous investigations have uncovered innumerable individuals who assert that Trump or his companies did not compensate them for their work. The Jenkins family was ecstatic when Trump accepted their $200,000 contract for work in Trump’s Taj Mahal. Trump never paid them, forcing the Jenkins to spend years of fighting in court. Ultimately, the Jenkins ended up with just 30 cents on the dollar totaling $70,000. Their company was owed $231,000, according to the bankruptcy claim filed in the case.

Overall, the extensive record of Trump’s businesses frequently failing to pay small businesses and individuals, and sometimes engaging in protracted legal battles, paints a clear picture. These actions starkly contradict the image Trump projects of himself as a protector of American workers, inviting a critical examination of his claims. Instead, they suggest a self-serving agenda that prioritizes his own interests over the well-being of workers.

Citations:

Trump and his 3,500 suits: Prosecutor and author reveals in interview his portrait of ‘Plaintiff in Chief’

Has Anyone Been Sued More Than Donald Trump?

Some in South Jersey have a message for Trump: Pay your old Atlantic City casino bills

The small business owners Trump never paid in full

Trump on the minimum wage to taxes