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Trump, Musk Slammed With Federal Labor Charges Over 'Illegal' Conversation on Unions The two talked on a livestream on X on Monday night.

By Emily Rella Edited by Melissa Malamut

Key Takeaways

  • The United Auto Workers filed federal labor charges against Elon Musk and Donald Trump over comments they made Monday night in an X livestream.
  • The UAW alleges that the billionaires promoted illegal behavior on behalf of employers.
  • UAW President Shawn Fain said: "It's disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns."

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The livestream on X with former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has more issues, and this time it isn't just technical.

The United Auto Workers union filed federal labor charges against Trump and Musk that allege two men attempted to "threaten and intimidate" workers on the X Spaces livestream who wished to participate in "protected concerted activity, such as strikes."

Related: Elon Musk Praises Tesla EVs to Donald Trump in X Livestream

During the conversation, which the UAW called "rambling, disorganized" and "illegal," Trump advocated for the firing of workers who went on strike.

"I look at what you do, you walk in, you say, 'You want to quit?' They go on strike," Trump told Musk via livestream. "I won't mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, That's OK, you're all gone."

The UAW noted in its lawsuit that under federal law in the U.S., employees cannot be fired solely for going on strike and that an employer threatening to let them go for that reason is violating workers' rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

Related: Elon Musk Blames Cyberattack for Trump's X Livestream Delays

"Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a release for the organization. "It's disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns."

In 2022, after Musk took over Twitter (now X), he initiated mass layoffs, letting go of thousands of employees and senior leadership following his acquisition of the company. In May, Musk fired Tesla's entire Supercharger team after one executive tried to push back against more layoffs.

The UAW, which is based in Michigan, currently represents over 40,000 autoworkers and formally endorsed Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris earlier this month.

Trump and Musk have not yet commented on the charges.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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