President Donald Trump made a stop in the Lehigh Valley at a Mack Truck facility in Macungie on Tuesday.
While the president talked about a lot of things, and introduced a lot of people, there was one main Pennsylvania figure who was omitted. One who he has endorsed.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
The Republican candidate for governor was given a speaking opportunity prior to Trump’s arrival. But while the president acknowledged Republican congressmen Dan Meuser (R-09), Lloyd Smucker (R-11), John Joyce (R-13), as well as Lehigh Valley union representatives and UFC brawlers, he failed to mention Garrity who trails incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro by 22 points in a recent Franklin & Marshall College poll.
“We need a governor in Harrisburg who will be a partner with President Trump in Washington, not an opponent in the courtrooms,” she said before Trump took the stage. “We need a governor who will fight for Pennsylvania jobs, like right here at Mack Trucks.”
Trump has shied away from candidates who do not show positive momentum in the past. In South Carolina, he endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for the GOP nomination for governor. Evette, who finished first in a crowded primary two weeks ago, saw her support slip ahead of a runoff, prompting Trump to issue a rare dual endorsement of Attorney General Alan Wilson as well.
Wilson is projected to win Tuesday’s runoff.
It also took Trump nearly an hour into his 83-minute speech to formally recognize 7th Congressional District Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. While the president did mention on occasion the importance of reelecting “the congressman,” Mackenzie was one of the final guests invited on stage to speak.
“I’m not here for them,” said Trump, referring to the other three Keystone State representatives, “I’m here for him,” as he told Mackenzie to “run up here (to the stage).”
Of course, Trump asked him to keep his remarks short.
Mackenzie is attempting to hold onto the seat he won in 2024 by ousting former Rep. Susan Wild, but is facing a daunting challenge from Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association. Brooks also has the backing of popular state Gov. Josh Shapiro in his quest.
Trump urged the crowd to support Mackenzie, saying of his trip, “I’m not doing this for my health.” But he devoted more energy to issues like the U.S.-Mexico border, opposing transgender rights and decrying “Marxist” judges, while also referencing his administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices.
“Career politician Ryan Mackenzie is no friend to working people,” said Brooks in a statement. “He is a liar who campaigned on a promise to lower costs but has instead voted in lockstep with his boss Donald Trump to jack up prices, rip away health care, and spend billions of dollars on a needless war overseas. No speech from Mackenzie can change the fact that his time in Congress has been an absolute disaster for the hardworking people of the Lehigh Valley.”
The president sought to reassure voters that costs are coming down and they are better off than they were two years ago. He said the administration had created 32,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania, with pharmaceutical, medical device and other companies building manufacturing facilities in the area. He cited his tax cuts and efforts to lower prescription drug prices, saying each “alone should win us the midterms.”
Trump listed longstanding political grievances, and made only passing mentions of promoting Republicans ahead of Election Day – while spending more time bragging about the UFC fight he staged on the White House lawn in honor of his own 80th birthday than he did the economy.
“We all appreciate the President joining us to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary on the very Pennsylvania soil where our nation was founded,” said Meuser in a social media post. “Thanks to his leadership, we can look forward to an even brighter future for our economy and our national security.”
“By electing Democrats up and down the ballot, we have the power to send a clear message to Donald Trump and put a check on his chaos, cruelty, and corruption,” said Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis. “So today as Donald Trump attempts to sugarcoat and make light of the reality Pennsylvanians are facing everyday, let’s not forget that Stacy Garrity will always be a rubber stamp to his disastrous policies no matter the cost to Pennsylvanians.”
While Trump essentially came to the Lehigh Valley to assist Mackenzie in his closely-watched race, it was notable that the other three Pennsylvania Republican congressmen facing difficult reelection races – Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01), Rob Bresnahan (R-08), and Scott Perry (R-10) – were absent. Sen. Dave McCormick was also in attendance and received numerous shoutouts from the president.