Washington, June 24 (IANS) US President Donald Trump defended his tariff-driven trade policies, telling workers at a Pennsylvania truck manufacturing plant that import duties were helping fuel a resurgence in American industry and encouraging companies to build factories in the United States.
Speaking at a Mack Trucks facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Trump argued that tariffs on imported vehicles, steel, aluminium and other products had helped reverse decades of manufacturing decline and attracted new investment into the country.
“For decades, the workers of this Commonwealth watched globalist politicians let other countries rip you off and close your factories, rob your jobs, take them away to foreign lands,” Trump said. “But at long last, you finally have a president who is putting workers first, putting Pennsylvania first and putting America first.”
The President highlighted tariffs as a cornerstone of his economic strategy.
“I placed 50 per cent tariffs on foreign copper, aluminum and steel so they couldn’t come in and steal your jobs,” Trump said.
He also pointed to duties on imported vehicles and heavy-duty trucks.
“As you know, I placed a 25 per cent tariff on foreign automobiles and, very importantly, I imposed a 25 per cent tariff on medium and heavy-duty trucks so that Mack Truck could do very well with its factory in Pennsylvania,” he said.
Trump argued that manufacturers seeking to avoid tariffs were increasingly relocating production to the United States.
“Right now, we have more factories being built and I mean, car factories, AI factories, factories of every type that we’ve ever had in the history of our country by three times,” he said.
“How don’t you pay a tariff? You build your factory here and you hire American workers.”
The President said the strategy was helping reduce trade imbalances and increase exports.
“Within a single year of taking office, I slashed trade deficit with China by the largest amount in the history of trade,” he said.
Trump added that “American exports to the rest of the world are up by $150 billion” and claimed the United States had recorded “the biggest trade deficit cut in the history of our country.”
The speech was delivered at Mack Trucks, one of the best-known manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks in the United States. Trump repeatedly praised the company and its workforce, describing the factory as a symbol of American manufacturing strength.
“All American roads will be filled with American trucks very shortly,” he said.
Patrick McHugh, a Marine Corps veteran and third-generation Mack Trucks employee, told the gathering that the company’s workers remained committed to domestic manufacturing.
“At Mack Trucks, we work hard to build the trucks that help build America and we are proud that those trucks are built in the United States of America,” McHugh said.
Trump also highlighted several investment announcements in Pennsylvania, including projects by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, telecommunications firm Nokia and medical technology company B. Braun.
He said such investments reflected growing confidence in the American economy and manufacturing sector.
The President’s remarks come as tariffs remain a central feature of his administration’s economic policy. Supporters argue that the measures encourage domestic production and strengthen industrial capacity, while critics contend that tariffs can increase costs for businesses and consumers.
–IANS
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