Embarrassing.

That was the best word to describe Joe Biden’s performance - and it was a performance - at the UAW picket line on Tuesday. There he was, looking lost, slack-jawed with eyes unfocused, standing there like an aged uncle who can’t figure out whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. He was surrounded by strikers while union leaders shouted about “corporate greed.”

Biden wasn’t there on his own volition. He was clearly ordered to go by his panicked White House handlers who are terrified by recent polls showing Trump leading Biden in a head-to-head match-up.

Worse, the new UAW president, Shawn Fain, has been criticizing the heck out of the president and recently issued a veiled warning: There would be no UAW presidential endorsement any time soon. 

Fain is a tough, belligerent, old-school union boss. He let Biden know that he better not take trade union support for granted. In other words, support the worker’s demands even if they’ll end up bankrupting the Big Three.

Democrats ALWAYS assume they’ll get organized labor endorsements. Fain doesn’t play, though.

Once on the line, Biden wandered around for a total of 12 minutes, wearing a UAW ball cap. He finally got a megaphone and delivered a few boilerplate cliches about the middle class. No meat in his message. No passion.

The president was just checking a box. Walked a picket line. Most pro-union president in history. Vote for me.

Fain’s threats, coupled with Donald Trump’s announcement that he was heading to Michigan to address strikers during the Republican debate on Wednesday night had Biden racing to Detroit.

His handlers knew he needed to get to the picket lines before being upstaged by Trump. That’s why he arrived on Tuesday.

Trouble is, unlike Biden, Trump actually has a strong populist case to make to the rank and file. He will, no doubt, point out that Biden’s wildly unpopular electric car policies will eventually cost thousands of auto workers their jobs. Even if the union does get control of the electric battery plants. 

In addition, he’ll remind the union members that Biden’s economy is causing inflation, which is shrinking their paychecks. Meanwhile, a downturn in the car market is expected as inflation drives up the cost of new cars and high interest rates make cars prohibitively expensive for many American workers. Now the strikes will cause shortages on car lots and eventually their pay demands will translate into unaffordable cars.

It’s hard to imagine that the public won’t turn against the striking workers if the job action stretches on for months, as Fain has indicated it could. Outrageous demands for a 36% increase in pay and a 32-hour-work week, while being paid for 40 hours seems more than a little crazy - dare we say greedy? - to hourly workers.

These look a lot like what the mob used to call no-show union jobs: Getting paid for not working.

Of course Biden, who treats the presidency as a part-time job, can identify with no-show workers.

Outside analysts say that when wages and benefits are included, the Detroit Three assembly plant workers already receive around $60 an hour. Imagine another 36% on top of that! Meanwhile, workers at the non-union Toyota and other Asian-owned plants in the U.S. get $40 to $45. 

Eventually, the so-called American cars are going to get too expensive for folks, so they’ll turn to Toyotas. Which are also American-made.

Joe Biden is on the ropes. Turning up on a picket line with no real message was a bad look.

It fooled no one. Including the strikers.