President Joe Biden yesterday joined a picket line with striking autoworkers in Michigan, backing their call for a 40 percent pay raise and telling them they deserve a "lot more" than they are getting.

Biden's appearance, the first visit by a US president to striking workers in modern history, comes a day before Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for president, will speak to auto workers in Michigan. The rare back-to-back events highlight the importance of union support in the 2024 presidential election, even though unions represent a tiny fraction of US workers.

Democrat Biden traveled to Belleville, Michigan to join the picketers.