Former President Trump holds rally on IUP’s campus

INDIANA, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump spoke here at the Kovalchick Center on Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s campus for more than 90 minutes, hitting on the economy, immigration, and the assassination attempt that happened at his rally in Butler in July.

Trump arrived at a full house of supporters in Indiana for what was his second stop in western Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

“It’s great to be back in this beautiful Commonwealth with thousands of proud, hardworking American patriots,” Trump said. “That’s what you are.”

Trump spent much of his time talking about the economic policy differences between a second Trump term and the Biden/Harris administration.

“As president, I will keep Kamala’s greedy hands out of your pockets and we will deliver gigantic tax cuts,” Trump said. “I gave you the biggest tax cuts in history and we are going to go further.”

He also spent a large portion of his speech on immigration. He mentioned Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio — and then shifted to a local town.

“The 4,000-person town of Charleroi, do people, do you know Charleroi?” Trump asked the audience, which got cheers from some Charleroi residents. Trump then spoke to them from the stage.

>> Charleroi residents, leaders respond to former President Trump’s comments on immigrant population

“Has your beautiful town changed? Yes,” Trump repeated from a supporter. “You can’t do it.”

Those comments about Charleroi were first made nearly two weeks ago and drew a rebuke from the borough council president, who said she doesn’t want politicians to use the town to score political points.

“It’s composed of lawless gangs, we’re not going to do this,” Trump said.

Also on immigration, Trump mentioned the graph that he looked at in Butler, just moments before Thomas Crooks opened fire from a nearby roof, striking Trump in the ear.

“I said put up that graph please,” Trump said. “If I didn’t look over to my right, I wouldn’t be here with you tonight and that would be very terrible.”

Trump also acknowledged the proposed sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel — something he and both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also said they want to block.

“We are also going to keep U.S. Steel right here in America,” Trump said.

Trump acknowledged Pennsylvania is an important state in this year’s presidential race, noting only 42 days remain until Election Day.

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