Antonio Caracciolo is a member of the Teamsters local 282 in New York. He supports Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and tells Steve Inskeep why.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Let’s hear now from a Donald Trump fan. He is a member of a union whose leaders are not such fans. Trump himself has claimed support from union members as he did over a faulty microphone just before the New Hampshire primary.
(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)
DONALD TRUMP: They’re having a revolution within the Teamsters because the men and people of the Teamsters want to vote for me. The leadership is always stuck with the Democrats. But the workers want to vote for Trump.
INSKEEP: That’s what Trump says. Now let’s explore that with Antonio Caracciolo, who is a member of Teamsters Local 282 in New York and Long Island and also a founding member of a Facebook page that is called Teamsters United For Donald J. Trump. Welcome to the program, sir.
ANTONIO CARACCIOLO: Yeah, well, thank you, Steve.
INSKEEP: What makes you think that Donald Trump, given the widespread revulsion at him despite his victories and his many fans in Republican primaries, is acceptable to the country at large?
CARACCIOLO: Because he’s putting skin in the game, as the old saying is. He is writing the check. If someone crashes your truck or something and you own the business, you have to pay the bills. Well, he is – right now, he’s paying the bills for himself. None of the other candidates can say that. Except close to him is Bernie Sanders. But Bernie’s traction is losing.
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