Departing from discussions on Middle Eastern conflicts and Iran, former President Trump delivered remarks against the backdrop of Mack Trucks’ humming factory in Lower Macungie Township. The plant, a part of the Volvo Group, provided a powerful setting for his message.
Among those accompanying Trump was Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who rejoined the political stage in this significant battleground area. Her appearance marked a return to the campaign trail just under two months after welcoming her daughter, Vivi.
Leavitt, gradually stepping back into her professional role, made her presence known with her initial media report on Fox News yesterday after her maternity leave, as she gears up for the upcoming midterm elections.
During his address in Pennsylvania, Trump pitched a re-industrialization plan aimed at revitalizing the Rust Belt’s economy. He appealed directly to the working-class voters who have been significantly impacted by inflation, driven in part by the ongoing Middle East conflict, and who were instrumental in the rise of his MAGA movement.
Trump also highlighted what he claims as achieved progress in dealings with Iran, underscoring his administration’s diplomatic efforts.
‘We are trying to work out a deal that is fair,’ he said, while adding that the stock market has hit a new high today.
He also bragged that oil and gas prices have shot down.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was spotted joining President Trump on the trip to the crucial battleground district, returning to the trail less than two months after the birth of her daughter, Vivi
Trading talk of Middle Eastern conflict and Iran for the roar of factory machinery, Trump took the stage at a Lower Macungie Township Mack Trucks assembly plant owned by the Volvo Group
Leavitt was also spotted doing her first media report on Fox News yesterday as she slowly reappears from maternity leave
Leavitt worked down to the wire this pregnancy, as she took to the podium at 39 weeks pregnant. She’s seen with her baby girl
Vivi was born on May 1, just days after the attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April
Trump aggressively leaned into his foreign policy achievements, telling the crowd that his administration’s high–stakes pressure campaign had brought Iran to its knees.
‘We just achieved a historic peace agreement with Iran to end the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz,’ Trump announced, noting that 19 million barrels of oil flowed through the strait just yesterday.
He credited the shift to a devastating military strike targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which he nicknamed ‘Operation Hammer’
‘Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that,’ Trump said. ‘We’re leaving Iran with no navy, no air force, no anti–aircraft, no missile capability, no nuclear program. We’re leaving them without any nuclear capacity, and they’ve agreed to that, and we’re getting along quite well.’
He added that the Iranian economy has been ‘crushed’ and its defense industrial base severely damaged, causing oil prices to slide back down to $70 a barrel.
Turning his focus back to the Rust Belt – which he declared had been transformed into the ‘Money Belt’ – Trump championed his aggressive tariff policies as the catalyst for a massive American manufacturing resurgence.
‘Within a single year of taking office, I slashed trade deficit with China by the largest amount in the history of trade… I cut it by 67%,’ he shouted to roaring applause.
He added that the US is currently building three times more factories, including automotive and AI facilities, than at any other point in American history.
MMA fighter Bo Nickal reacts as he is recognized by President Trump during an event at the Mack Trucks Lehigh Valley Operations facility
Rep. Dan Meuser, center, listens to President Donald Trump speak at a Mack Trucks facility
Leavitt departs Air Force One at Reading Regional Airport as she accompanies President Trump to Pennsylvania
Trump dances on stage at a Mack Trucks facility, Tuesday, June 23
Trump took time to list massive, multi–billion–dollar investments directly impacting the crucial battleground state, asserting that ‘more Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country.’
He mentioned medicine company Eli Lilly, a massive $3.5 billion investment in a brand–new, state–of–the–art manufacturing facility ‘right down the road’ in the Lehigh Valley, creating over 1,000 jobs. He also touted US Steel’s expansion and telecommunications company Nokia’s $30 million to expand semiconductor testing.
The rally featured several high–profile guests who took the stage alongside the President.
Marine Corps veteran Patrick McHugh Jr., a 28–year employee of the Mack Trucks plant, stood on stage with his father and son – representing a combined 78 years of building trucks at the facility.
‘At Mack Trucks, we work hard to build the trucks that help build America,’ McHugh said, thanking Trump for stopping the previous administration’s fuel emission standards and electric vehicle mandates that he claimed would have ‘crushed’ the factory.
In a nod to sports fans, Trump brought out Penn State wrestling icons and UFC stars Bo Nickal and Anthony Cassar, fresh off their appearance at UFC Freedom 250, which was held on the White House lawn.
Before concluding, Trump doubled down on his signature ‘drill, baby, drill’ policy, noting that the US is now the number one producer of oil and gas on Earth – larger than Russia and Saudi Arabia combined.
He also praised the rescue of local coal facilities, mandating that the energy source always be referred to as ‘clean, beautiful coal.’