Former president Donald Trump made his first visit to south-central Pennsylvania on the 2024 campaign trail, visiting York on Monday.
It’s not Trump’s typical hangout, and the Precision Custom Components plant wasn’t built for his usual rallies and immense crowds. The city’s infrastructure was also tested by street closures and massive traffic — especially when Trump left the city during rush hour.
The visit to York was the first by a presidential candidate since 2008, when the former president Barack Obama came to visit. The last Republican to visit White Rose City was George W. Bush in 2004.
Here are five takeaways from the event.
1. Trump is more comfortable without a prompter
During his 52-minute speech at a specialist production facility, the former president consciously tried to “stick to the script” and apply a prompter whenever possible.
“Precision Custom Components has strengthened the backbone of America. Your products have gone to Hoover Dam and are now in active use. I am here today to deliver a simple message. When I return to the White House, America’s future will be built here in Pennsylvania.”
However, there were times when Trump decided to deviate from the script.
“And I stood up for China like never before, bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars when no other president has literally gotten 10 cents from China, I brought in hundreds of billions of dollars from China. That’s never happened before. No one else has literally gotten 10 cents.”
“The 30-year mortgage rate was 2.6%, but it was actually closer to 1.9 if you look at it the way most people do. And gas was up and basically $1.87 a gallon, but we had months and moments where it was even lower.”
The audience, like the candidate, seemed to enjoy his less scripted moments.
2. Trump still has the full support of his base
The invitation-only audience of about 250 people wore Trump hats and T-shirts and waited patiently for showers before being allowed inside the venue.
In the queue for the media briefing, many comments about the search for “honest press” and “fair stories” were directed at the fourth estate. There is strength in numbers.
As Trump began his speech, at least one reporter was asked to leave her seat at the head of the media pen, just a few feet away from the former president. The “request” came from two women who complained that their view of Trump was blocked.
The audience enthusiastically welcomed Trump’s speech, especially when he told “Comrade Kamala” that in 78 days, Pennsylvania will say, “You’re fired.”
They also liked his promises to “unleash explosive growth, put more money in your pockets, dramatically cut taxes, cut regulation, crack down on retail fraudsters … ‘And bring back those beautiful words: ‘Made in the USA.’”
They also started booing on cue when Trump mentioned Harris, Biden and the media.
“When I left office, I handed Kamala and the crooked Joe Biden a booming economy with no inflation. There was no inflation. You had everything. It was good, great paychecks, no inflation. Everything was blown up and destroyed and jobs were lost. A lot of jobs were lost. Our country is doing really badly under them and nobody wants to talk about it. The media doesn’t like to talk about it because the Democrats are really protective of themselves. It’s pretty amazing. One day the media is going to be the real media, not the fake media.”
3. There will always be fact checking after Trump’s speech
“She set the standard in California. Think about it, if you steal $950 or less, they leave you alone. They can’t be bothered. So you see criminals going into stores with a small computer and adding up every year. We want it to be under $950, but they’re not prosecuted for anything over that.” Politifact rated it “False.”
“Gas has reached and generally been $1.87 a gallon, but we’ve had months and moments when it’s been even cheaper. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Politifact also rated it “False.”
(*5*) Politifact also labeled it “False.”
4. Famous participants
Three Republican congressmen were present – Scott Perry Representatives (R-10), Dan Meuser (R-09) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-15). Their absence was significant Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-11), who represents Lancaster and York Counties, and Representative John Joyce (R-13) whose district includes neighboring Adams County.
A pair of York County state legislators were also spotted – Seth Grove Representatives AND Mike JonesAlso present were numerous representatives of York County authorities.
5. The campaign still seems to be having trouble finding its message
Trump recently suggested this week would be peaceful as he focused media attention on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
But recent polls have shown a surge in support for Harris-Walz’s campaign, prompting Trump to make adjustments on the fly. Just days after the Wilkes-Barre rally, he added York to his Keystone State tour — Trump’s 25+ win in 2020.
The Republican campaign made stops in major cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and Trump also visited Luzerne County — considered a pointer in the state. Look for campaign events in the coming weeks in Erie County in the northwest corner of the state, as well as Northampton County, along the PA-NJ border in the Lehigh Valley. Both are also considered pointers.
