Trump visits Western Pennsylvania for event and rally
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Former President Donald Trump held a rally at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Monday evening after speaking at an event hosted by a conservative nonprofit in Westmoreland County earlier in the day.
Doors at IUP's Ed Fry Arena, which seats about 5,000 people, opened at 3 p.m. and the former president hit the stage around 7:45 p.m. Thousands of supporters wearing Make America Great Again hats and Trump-themed shirts filled the area to hear the former president speak for roughly 90 minutes.
Trump talked about the economy, immigration, Kamala Harris and fracking, among other things. He also promised to keep U.S. Steel in America. Harris also has said she believes U.S. Steel should stay American-owned.
"We are also going to keep U.S. Steel right here in America," Trump said on Monday. "We have to be strong and powerful again. And we must put tariffs on foreign predators, they are predators, so that they don't destroy our steel industry."
There was plenty of security on Monday at the rally; KDKA-TV saw Secret Service and Pennsylvania State Police outside and inside. Some officers were on horses, patrolling campus.
Some protesters showed up around 2:30 p.m. on Monday. A few dozen people came down Pratt Drive and then down Wayne Avenue. Some of them KDKA-TV talked to were IUP students. The IUP College Democrats also planned a protest from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Trump most recently held a rally in the Western Pennsylvania area at the end of August, speaking to supporters in Johnstown. Trump is also set to return to the site of the first assassination attempt against him at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on Oct. 5, sources told CBS News.
Trump hosts roundtable with farmers in Smithton
Trump was in Smithton, Westmoreland County, earlier Monday for a roundtable with local farms sponsored by the Protecting America Initiative, a conservative nonprofit. The group says China is out to sabotage America and achieve world dominance.
"They put you right out of business and then they'll sell the same product but they'll be double the price of what you are and make a fortune. That's what they want to do," Trump said.
State Senate Republican Leader Kim Ward of Westmoreland County was also in attendance at the round table.
Kamala Harris to visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday
The White House says Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday for a campaign event but didn't release any other details.
Earlier this month, Harris spent several days in Pittsburgh ahead of the debate in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is a battleground state, and political experts expect both Harris and Trump to make several more visits to the Pittsburgh area before Election Day on Nov. 5.