By: Trevor Loudon
New Zeal

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka confirmed his friendship with president Barack Obama and to a socialist future for America.

Asked if Obama is a friend or an acquaintance, Trumka said, “He’s a friend. There’s a lot of things we disagree with him on. There’s far more things that we agree with him on….”

Trumka said he’d like to see the U.S. become more like a European nation that provides pensions and health care for all its citizens. He said he is accustomed to criticism and doesn’t mind if conservatives call that socialism.

“Being called a socialist is a step up for me,” he said.

For a rundown on Trumka’s history with Democratic Socialists of America and the Communist Party USA, go here.