Can Trump bring unions into the GOP fold? His labor nominee presents a major test

President Donald Trump has repeatedly challenged Senate Republicans with his Cabinet picks. But his nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary may be proving the hardest for many to accept.

Chavez-DeRemer, a former congresswoman from Oregon, hardly cuts the profile of a traditional Republican nominee. She is the daughter of a lifelong Teamsters member. She’s a small business owner who served as the mayor of a fast-growing suburb in liberal Portland, Oregon. And in the House, she co-sponsored legislation championed by America’s labor unions.

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“At a high level, the change has been a shift from defaulting to a pro-business perspective,” said Abigail Ball, the executive director at American Compass, a conservative think tank. Ball said the “failure of globalization” has pushed many conservatives toward a new approach.

“I think the American people very much realized that trade and the cheap TV was not worth the loss of strong communities and the ability for a guy who did not go to college to support his family on one income,” Ball said.

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