The same day Democrats open their national convention in Chicago, former President Donald Trump will be in York and his vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), will be in Philadelphia. Both are scheduled to speak on the economy, according to campaign announcements.
“Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Radical Left Democrats Like Tim Walz” [sic] “Economic failure has left Americans poorer and struggling to support their families,” Trump’s campaign said in a press release announcing his speech.
Monday’s visit will be Trump’s eighth to Pennsylvania in 2024. He will speak at Precision Custom Components, which makes parts and components for submarines, nuclear reactors and other commercial and industrial equipment. The company is also a partner in a Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association initiative to train workers who support build submarines for the U.S. Navy.
The program is funded with $500,000 from the Department of Community and Economic Development. grant from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration awarded in October.
Vance will speak at DiSorb Systems in North Philadelphia, which produces “innovative waste management products and solidifying agents for the healthcare industry,” according to the company’s website.
Harris campaign spokesman Onotse Omoyeni criticized Trump on Friday, saying his policies were hurting Pennsylvanians.
“The people of Pennsylvania are clear: We fired Donald Trump in 2020 for destroying 275,000 jobs, undermining unions, trying to take away our health care, and selling us out to his wealthy friends,” Omoyeni said in a statement Friday. “Every time he returns, Pennsylvania voters are reminded why they threw him out — and why we are determined to never see the inside of the Oval Office again.”
After a disordered July in which President Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election bid, campaigning on both ballots picked up again in Pennsylvania over the past week.
On Thursday, Vance I spoke with veterans at a VFW in western Pennsylvania. On Saturday, Trump to hold rally in Wilkes-Barrewhich will be his first appearance in northeastern Pennsylvania this year.
On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and her vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will be in western Pennsylvania on a bus tour.
The economy has been in the spotlight over the last few days of the campaign. Trump held a press conference on Thursday, where he attacked Harris for inflation. On Friday, Harris Announces Her Campaign Proposal aimed at addressing rent increases, grocery price inflation and increasing child tax credits.
York County in south-central Pennsylvania has consistently favored Republicans in recent elections. In 2020Trump won the county by nearly 25 points over Biden. During Presidential elections 2016Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in York County by 29 points.
The latest polls show Harris with a very slight lead over Trump in Pennsylvania, although Emerson College Poll released Friday showed Trump and Harris each with 47% support in the race, which is open to independent candidates. Cook Political Report rates the race for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes as “uncertain.”
This article was updated on August 16, 2024 at 7:50 p.m. to add a statement from the Harris campaign.
