Trump Invites Steelworkers To The Stage During PA Rally To Celebrate U.S. Steel Deal

Forbes Breaking News

During Friday’s rally in West Mifflin, PA, President Trump invited steelworkers to the stage.

Transcript

00:00So let me also bring up real fast a few guys that I met backstage that I was very impressed

00:05with. Jack, Jason, Scott, Donald and Kurt. Come on up here, fellas. Get up here. Come

00:11on up here. These guys are great. Come on. They're happy people. Thank you, Mr. President.

00:29I'm not prepared, but I can tell you I would rather be nowhere than where I am today with

00:39all of my U.S. Steel family, friends and everybody that I love. Thank you very much. Thank you,

00:45Mr. Berg. Thank you, Mr. Maury. And most of all, thank you, Donald J. Trump.

00:59We did it. I want to thank everyone for coming. Today is a great day. For those of you who don't

01:11know me, my name is Jason Zugai. I'm the former president and current vice president of Local

01:152227, and I have worked at this great plant for 28 years. I'm a third generation steel

01:22worker working for U.S. Steel. And by the way, I'm damn proud of that.

01:33So when we decided to stand up for the men and women of the Mon Valley, we knew it wasn't

01:38going to be easy. Almost every day there were obstacles in our way. At any point, we could

01:44have chosen to give up, but we are steel workers, and giving up just isn't something we do.

01:48These investments will ensure steel will be made right here in Pittsburgh for years to come.

01:55And I want to take this time to thank a lot of people that were crucial to getting this

01:59partnership to the finish line. First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me the strength,

02:05courage, and wisdom to fight day after day.

02:09I want to thank my family for their support.

02:16They were always patient with me when I'd be constantly on the phone night after night

02:25discussing this partnership, talking to politicians, or easing the mind of a union member.

02:30I want to thank Jack Maskell. We've been together from the beginning through this.

02:44From the many meetings together, D.C. trips that were nothing but business,

02:48to just brainstorming daily. Thank you, my brother. There's no one I'd rather have gone to this fight

02:53with. We did it. And I told you, how bad I hate to lose. And we won, brother. We won.

03:07To the guys from Clareton and E.T. that fought side by side with us from the beginning,

03:12it was an honor, and I'll never forget our journey.

03:16I want to thank the local mayors who have stood toe to toe with us from the beginning.

03:21We greatly appreciate it.

03:29Mayor Kelly, thank you. And thank you for your friendship, sir.

03:35I want to thank my union brothers and sisters for believing in us and trusting us to get this done.

03:41My campaign slogan when I ran for office was, I will fight for you.

03:47I hope that I have proven that to you. It was my honor.

03:58Celina Zito, thank you.

04:01From the wonderful articles you wrote and the social media posts and everything you

04:05have done behind the scenes, you are a rock star. Thank you.

04:08Senator Kim Ward, thank you for fighting for us as hard as you did.

04:19You were one feisty lady, and I say that with the utmost respect, and we appreciate it.

04:28The state of Pennsylvania and your constituents are so proud to have you represent us.

04:36Chris Hall, just a small-town guy that made it out and wanted to give back to his community.

04:42Thank you for your words of wisdom and unwavering support for your community.

04:46You did a good thing.

04:53Congressman Dan Muser, you took our meeting in D.C. personally and never wavered after

04:59that meeting.

05:00You fought for us in public, and that means the world to us.

05:03We will never forget your support, and you can count on ours as well.

05:09Mr. Morey, I love this guy.

05:17Thank you for taking the time to listen to our concerns and always making yourself available

05:21to answer all of our questions.

05:23This man has been disrespected and didn't deserve that, and I feel horrible that that happened

05:27to you.

05:28We will do everything in our power to see that never happens again.

05:31You have my word.

05:33These investments are life-changing for all the men and women here today and for our communities.

05:38I personally look forward to working with you for years to come.

05:49I want to thank the men from New York and D.C. that call me every day, every day.

05:55They gave me breaking news, advice, and guidance through this process.

05:58You might have been behind the scenes, but you definitely had a hand in getting this partnership

06:01to the finish line.

06:02Paul, Curtis, Chris, thank you.

06:12U.S. Senator Dave McCormick.

06:14I met the senator at a Trump rally in La Trobe before we were both getting ready to speak.

06:19He introduced himself to me and asked about the Nippon merger and what I thought about

06:22it.

06:23As you know, I'm pretty passionate about it, and let him know that.

06:27He told me, after I win, you will be my first meeting.

06:30I was his first meeting.

06:32He kept his promise.

06:37He asked all the tough questions during the meeting, and he gathered the facts.

06:45We met again last week to touch base, and he took it from there.

06:48Without his help, this partnership doesn't get done.

06:51Thank you, Senator, from the bottom of my heart.

06:57And last but not least, President Trump.

07:00What can I say?

07:01I never doubted you'd be there for us when we needed you.

07:04When our international endorsed Harris, we decided to take a stand for what we believed

07:08was right.

07:10That was to come out publicly and boldly in support of you.

07:14Although we aren't public speakers, we tucked our fears aside and did what any proud American

07:18would do.

07:19We thank you every day for risking your life and laying it all on the line for this country.

07:34I knew you wouldn't let us down, and for that I will be forever grateful.

07:38From every steel worker that supports you and every family you saved, I want to say thank

07:42you, Mr. President, for making U.S. Steel great again.

07:51God bless America.

07:52God bless U.S. Steel.

08:01So my name is Don German.

08:04I am the plant manager for this Urban Works here.

08:07I had 35 years with U.S. Steel.

08:09I'm a first-generation U.S. Steel worker.

08:12It is an honor to host you, Mr. President, today.

08:17And let me tell you, it was a lot of work, but it was well worth it.

08:21But I will always tell people that it is for the workers that are out on this floor.

08:26It is for our families that are out here who support us.

08:29It is for the community members in our community and our state and our country.

08:34And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

08:47Good afternoon.

08:48As you know me, I'm Kurt Barshik.

08:49I'd like to tell, Mr. President, the day I started at U.S. Steel, my supervisor at the

08:58blast furnace told me, kid, what are you doing here?

09:03Do you think this mill will be here?

09:06Look at Homestead.

09:08Look at Duquesne.

09:09They're not here.

09:10You're wasting your time.

09:12And I can stand here years later and think about our children, our grandchildren, our great

09:20grandchildren that are going to have family-sustaining, good-paying jobs, all because of President

09:28Trump.

09:29Thank you, President Trump.

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