Labor Day played into political campaigns this year, with Republicans and Democrats using the holiday to pitch sharply different visions of what being “pro-worker” means, USA Today reports. The White House and GOP promoted August’s stronger-than-expected jobs report, crediting President Trump for what they framed as a jobs boom. The administration highlighted 162,000 new jobs in August, an unchanged 4.1% unemployment rate, and a claim of 1 million private-sector jobs added in Trump’s second term. Republicans branded him the “Jobs President,” pushed a meme-ready “Jobsmaxxing” graphic, and tied the numbers to their upcoming Dallas midterm convention. Trump made no celebratory Labor Day post on jobs, instead attacking political opponents on Truth Social and framing the midterms as a battle to “SAVE AMERICA.”
Democrats, on the other hand, largely ignored the report and trained their message on unions, a pillar of their coalition. Party leaders rolled out coordinated tributes to organized labor—”Unions built the middle class” was the official line—while figures including Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders praised unions for delivering weekends, the 40-hour workweek, and safer workplaces. In Maine, Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson, who has been a logger and longtime labor activist, spoke at a union hall. He told workers they need to go to the polls this fall—to raise the minimum wage, expand family medical leave and show support for one another, per the AP. “Labor Day has never been just another holiday,” Jackson told the union members in Portland.