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Sean O’Brien, Teamsters union chief, becomes first teamster to address RNC
Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, gave Monday’s keynote speech at the Republican National Convention, delivering one of the most anti-big business speeches in recent RNC memory and becoming the first boss in the organization’s 121-year history to address the convention.
The Teamsters, which hasn’t endorsed a candidate so far in 2024, has endorsed Democrats in recent years. But as the Republican Party’s rhetoric has grown more populist, O’Brien was invited to speak at the RNC as Republicans vie for union votes. O’Brien said he doesn’t believe in “knee-jerk” union loyalties.
“Today, the Teamsters are here to say we are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said. “We will create an agenda and work with a bipartisan coalition, ready to accomplish something real for the American worker. And I don’t care about getting criticized.”
O’Brien tackled topics that aren’t typically fodder for Republican voters. He blasted big businesses like Walmart and Amazon. He admonished the Chamber of Commerce, calling it “unions for big business.” And he said Washington isn’t looking out for workers.
“The American people aren’t stupid, they know the system is broken,” he said. “We all know how Washington is run. Working people have no chance of winning this fight. That’s why I’m here today, because I refuse to keep doing the same things my predecessors did.”
Former President Donald Trump, making his first appearance since the attempt on his life Saturday, gave a standing ovation for O’Brien’s speech. So did Trump’s allies and family members sitting in the VIP box.
“President Trump is a candidate who is not afraid of hearing from new, loud and often critical voices, and I think we all can agree, whether people like him or they don’t like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.,” O’Brien said.
That “S.O.B.” line sparked resounding applause and cheers from the convention hall.
Several months ago, O’Brien said he asked to speak at both the RNC and Democratic National Convention. Trump invited him to speak, he said.
“President Trump had the backbone to open the doors to this Republican Convention, and that’s unprecedented,” he said. “No other nominee in the race would have invited the Teamsters into this arena.”
At the end of the day, O’Brien said, the Teamsters aren’t interested if a candidate has a “D,” “R” or “I” next to his or her name.
O’Brien’s speech signifies a shift within the GOP that’s become more visible since Trump’s election in 2016. The party has moved from a corporate, Wall Street-focused message toward a more worker-friendly tone.
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Barry Enderwick is eating his way through history, one sandwich at a time. Every day from his home in San Jose, California, Enderwick posts a cooking video from a recipe that time forgot. From the 1905 British book “Salads, Sandwiches and Savouries,” Enderwick prepared the New York Sandwich.
The recipe called for 24 oysters, minced and mixed with mayonnaise, seasoned with lemon juice and pepper, and spread over buttered day-old French bread.
Rescuing recipes from the dustbin of history doesn’t always lead to culinary success. Sampling his New York Sandwich, Enderwick decried it as “a textural wasteland. No, thank you.” Into the trash bin it went!
But Enderwick’s efforts have yielded his own cookbook, a collection of some of the strangest – and sometimes unexpectedly delicious – historical recipes you’ve never heard of.
Harvard Common Press
He even has a traveling stage show: “Sandwiches of History Live.”
From the condiments to the sliced bread, this former Netflix executive has become something of a sandwich celebrity. “You can put just about anything in-between two slices of bread,” he said. “And it’s portable! In general, a sandwich is pretty easy fare. And so, they just have universal appeal.”
Though the sandwich gets its name famously from the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, the earliest sandwich Enderwick has eaten dates from 200 B.C.E. China, a seared beef sandwich called Rou Jia Mo.
He declared it delicious. “Between the onions, and all those spices and the soy sauce … oh my God! Oh man, this is so good!”
While Elvis was famous for his peanut butter and banana concoction, Enderwick says there’s another celebrity who should be more famous for his sandwich: Gene Kelly, who he says had “the greatest man sandwich in the world, which was basically mashed potatoes on bread. And it was delicious.”
Whether it’s a peanut and sardine sandwich (from “Blondie’s Cook Book” from 1947), or the parmesian radish sandwich (from 1909’s “The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book”), Enderwick tries to get a taste of who we were – good or gross – one recipe at a time.
RECIPE: A sophisticated club sandwich
Blogger Barry Enderwick, of Sandwiches of History, offers “Sunday Morning” viewers a 1958 recipe for a club sandwich that, he says, shouldn’t work, but actually does, really well!
MORE: “Sunday Morning” 2024 “Food Issue” recipe index
Delicious menu suggestions from top chefs, cookbook authors, food writers, restaurateurs, and the editors of Food & Wine magazine.
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Story produced by Anthony Laudato. Editor: Chad Cardin.
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