Trump promises prosperity in Johnstown
JOHNSTOWN — Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump urged a crowd of thousands at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena on Friday to turn out to vote, and he said he’d bring prosperity back to Johnstown, which had once been a thriving steel producer.
“You have to vote on Nov. 8 or else we wasted a lot of time and I wasted a lot of money,” he said.
The crowd of about 6,000, including women holding pink signs reading “Women for Trump,” was enamored with Trump, offering thunderous applause as he spoke.
“We are going to renegotiate terrible trade deals, end illegal immigration, stop the massive inflow of refugees, reduce taxes and regulations and repeal and replace Obamacare,” he said.
Pennsylvania is a battleground state holding 20 electoral votes to be gained in a winner-take-all fashion. Historically, the Democratic candidate wins Pennsylvania, but by a narrow margin that keeps Republicans working for their chance. Polls show Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a six-point lead on Trump in Pennsylvania.
With talk of deregulating coal energy and renegotiating trade deals, Trump has stirred Pennsylvania coal and steel towns like Johnstown.
On Friday, he harkened back to a day when Bethlehem Steel, the nation’s largest steel producer, was strong. And he also said he would protect the area’s coal energy.
“We are going to put your miners back to work,” he said.
The crowd erupted with cheers.
“Your jobs will come back under a Trump administration — that I can tell you — including your steel, which has been decimated in this area. Once the proud champion, your steel has been decimated, and we know all about the games China (plays) dumping weak steel into the market. Your steel will come back. Your energy will be protected,” he said. “Your incomes will go up under a Trump administration. Your taxes will go way, way down,” he said. “With Hillary, your taxes are going way up.”
While the cheers indicated there were coal miners and steelworkers in the crowd, there were also steelworkers among the dozens attending a protest of Trump in Central Park.
“Higher incomes? He already thinks American workers make too much money as it is. He wants to break up unions that fight for equality of all workers, union and nonunion,” said Gerald Lee, a steelworker with North American Hoganas in Johnstown.
“And he wants to cut Social Security. A lot of people live on disability.”
Lee also is worried, as it’s been reported, that a Trump presidency would reduce the role of the federal agency charged with enforcement of safety and health legislation for workers: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“Without OSHA, businesses would run right over employees,” Lee said.
In his speech, Trump promised to renegotiate trade deals that would bring jobs back to communities like Johnstown, and criticized the Trans-Pacific Partnership plan.
“Bill Clinton signed NAFTA, the worst trade deal ever. The TPP will be almost as bad. And we are going to stand up to foreign product dumping and currency manipulation, the likes of which makes it impossible (for the United States) to compete,” he said. “Seventy thousand factories — and you know better than anybody — have shut down or left the United States since China entered the World Trade Organization.”
Trump said he would solve the national debt and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
“We owe $20 trillion with schools, hospitals, bridges that are falling apart. That’s a problem. But I’ll solve it.”
He repeated his aim to renegotiate trade deals.
And Trump made a comment that he would end the nation’s drug epidemic by building a wall at the Mexican border, saying Mexico would pay for it.
“And we are going to stop this incredible and disgusting drug flow. It’s poisoning our youth. We are stopping it. We are stopping it. We are going to build a wall.”
The crowd chanted: “Build that wall. Build that wall. Build that wall.”
In his speech, Trump also targeted Hillary Clinton, bringing attention to her email scandal as secretary of state and her campaign history revealed by WikiLeaks.
The crowd chanted: “Lock her up. Lock her up.”
Outside, at Central Park, the protest organized by Mary Zammie was peaceful.
Zammie, of Johnstown, said she is not voting for Trump or Clinton. “I don’t trust her,” she said. Zammie said she is voting for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
“For me, it’s just everything (Trump) said doesn’t come from a place of good. He’s been very offensive. I want someone who will respect the U.S. citizen,” she said.
“The minute I heard he was coming here; I did not want the community to be divided when he left. This protest welcomes everybody to share ideas peacefully.”
Mirror Staff Writer Russ O’Reilly is at 946-7435.
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