American flags, hard hats, and Steelers: Inside President Trump's return to Pittsburgh

With a towering American flag hanging in the background, President Trump was greeted by steelworkers in hard hats as he returned Friday to a region central to his steel and trade message.

At a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the president lauded a "blockbuster agreement" between U.S. Steel and Japanese Nippon Steel, which he said would "ensure the storied American company" – U.S. Steel – "stays an American company." Addressing a sea of plant workers in orange vests, Trump announced he would double steel and aluminum tariffs, calling a strong American steel industry "above all a matter of national security."

"It was a great trip to a fantastic place," President Trump told The Lion and other reporters outside of Air Force One on Friday. "The steelworkers are very happy, we did the tariffs, it's going to … make them even more competitive, and it's turning out to be a great deal."

Here are The Lion's top seven highlights from Trump's trip to Steel City. 

1. U.S. Steel will keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh, "where it belongs," in an ode to the city's blue-collar heritage
"For generations, the name United States Steel was synonymous with greatness, and now it will again be synonymous with greatness," Trump said to a cheering crowd. "The best and strongest steel on Earth will forever be made in America and made in Pennsylvania."

He later praised U.S. Steel for more than 124 years of pouring "molten metal" to forge America's infrastructure. 

"The city of Pittsburgh used to produce more steel than most entire countries could produce, and it wasn't even close," Trump said. "But our steelworkers know better than anyone – decades of Washington betrayals and incompetence and stupidity and corruption cost this region over 100,000 steel jobs, and they melted away just like butter melts away."

2. Trump celebrates first few months in office compared to "cold" America under the Biden administration
"Six months ago, we had a nation that was dying, we had a nation that was cold as ice, and now we have the hottest, most talked about nation anywhere in the world," Trump said.

He also touted his border security efforts while criticizing the previous administration's immigration policies. America suffered "four calamitous years of a president who obviously wasn't doing the job," he said, referencing former President Joe Biden.

"Millions and millions of people pouring through our borders from all countries all over the world," Trump said, adding that migrants were coming "from the jails of the Congo," mental institutions, and "all over" South America. 

"They were pouring into our country by the millions. They allowed this to happen to our country," Trump said. "But we're moving them out. We're moving them out faster, we're bringing them back to where they came from."

3. Steelers players join stage, make Trump an honorary Steeler player
Steelers legend Rocky Bleier, along with current players Mason Rudolph and Miles Killebrew, joined Trump on stage amid cheers of "Here we go Steelers" from the crowd. Bleier, a four-time Super Bowl champion, made Trump an "honorary Pittsburgh Steeler" and presented him with a "Trump" Steelers jersey numbered "47" for the 47th president.

4. Founder of "Steelworkers for Trump" and other steelworkers praise deal
"Through this deal, he has fought to keep billions of dollars in investments, will secure jobs for generations to come," Founder of Steelworkers for Trump Brian Pavlack said on stage, thanking Trump for "revitalizing the American steel industry" and "making American steel great again."

Trump was also joined on stage by several steelworkers who Trump had met with before the rally, and who showed him around the steel mill, as captured by The Lion. 

5. Trump makes news by announcing he will double steel and aluminum tariffs
"We are going to be imposing a 25% increase; we're going to bring it from 25% to 50%, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will further secure the steel industry," he said to the crowd. "We don't want America's future to be built with shoddy steel from Shanghai. We want it built with the strength and the pride of Pittsburgh."

6. Trump concludes rally with classic 'YMCA' anthem and dance
Following his remarks, speakers blasted "YMCA" as the president danced on stage. Following Trump's promise that the region would no longer be a "Rust Belt, it'll be a golden Belt," it was hard to forget the political significance of the Pittsburgh event – Trump's first rally since his re-election in a battleground state that was considered critical to his victory. With the backdrop of the American flag and steel-making equipment, the impression given was that more than steel being forged in the mill – but momentum for Trump's economic policies.

7. Trump speaks to The Lion and other reporters under the wing of Air Force One
Following the Pittsburgh rally and flight back to Washington, D.C., Trump spoke to a group of news outlets including The Lion on Friday night, amid a heavy downpour.

He described the trip as "great" and painted the deal as making American steel "even more competitive." He said the billions of dollars in investments from Japan would be used for "new steel mills, new everything." 

"This is an investment, it's controlled by the United States, and more importantly they're spending the money on brick and mortar," he said. "You can't take it. What are you going to do, pick it up and move it to Japan? That's not going to happen. You know I rejected this [deal] about four times now and when they finally got it right, I liked it a lot, and you can see how happy the steelworkers are."

Share Article

Subscribe to The Lion

Become A Subscriber