Trump holds rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Pennsylvania
UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — Former President Donald Trump held a rally at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Westmoreland County on Saturday evening.
Trump took the stage around 6:10 p.m. at the campaign event at the airport and spoke in front of thousands of supporters for about 90 minutes.
"With your help, 17 days from now, we are going to win Pennsylvania," Trump said. "We are going to defeat Kamala Harris, and we are going to 'Make America Great Again.'"
He talked about a variety of key issues in this year's presidential race, including immigration, taxes, manufacturing and inflation.
"Starting in January, we will give our companies the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burdens, and free access to the best and biggest market anywhere on the planet," Trump said. "But only if they make their products right here in America."
At one point during the rally, Trump claimed that Charleroi, Washington County, has seen a "2,000 percent increase" in its illegal immigrant population. KDKA-TV has reported that while there has been an increase in immigrants in the borough, many of them are in the country legally.
It was not the only time a topic important to the Mon Valley came up at the rally.
"We will bring back our manufacturing jobs, our energy jobs, our coal jobs, our steel jobs and our dreams," Trump said.
Trump also said that he talked to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, but he did not provide details on their call.
Later in the rally, Trump brought a group of steelworkers on stage, and the former president put on a white hard hat that said "President Donald J. Trump."
"The big thing is we are losing jobs," steelworker Andrew Macey said. "We're losing jobs to the other countries."
"He wants to protect our jobs," added Macey, who was on stage with Trump on Saturday. "He said to me personally when I asked him if he would protect the steel workers' jobs and he said you have my word."
Before Trump took the stage, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown gave a short speech in support of the former president. Brown talked about how he and Trump have overcome adversity and share the same values.
"We all need to possess courage and keep pushing forward to bring a better future," said Brown, who had on a red MAGA hat. "And speaking of pushing forward and a better future, we are here to support our 45th president, soon to be the 47th president, Donald J. Trump."
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Dave McCormick, the Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, also spoke at the event.
Trump in Western Pennsylvania
Saturday was Trump's latest visit to Western Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, he held a rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds, the same place where he was the victim of an assassination attempt in July.
Trump is expected to traverse Pennsylvania this weekend. After Saturday's rally in Westmoreland County, he is expected to "work as a fry cook" at a McDonald's on Sunday after claiming multiple times that his opponent, Vice President Harris, has lied about working at McDonald's in college.
He is then scheduled to host a town hall at the Lancaster Convention Center in Southern Pennsylvania on Sunday. He is expected to finish his day in Western Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Steelers-New York Jets game at Acrisure Stadium.
Recently, Trump has also held events in Indiana, Cambria and Westmoreland counties.
Harris prepared for the presidential debate in Pittsburgh, stopped by the Steel City on Labor Day with President Joe Biden and pushed her economic plan late last month in Pittsburgh.
Security preparations for Trump's Latrobe rally
Security preparations for Saturday's Trump rally began early this week.
On Wednesday, bleachers were delivered and fencing went up, as crews with the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport prepared for the large crowds.
The executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority said the rally would not impact the airport's Spirit Airlines flights, but there was a no-fly zone around the airport while Trump was there.
The importance of Pennsylvania
CBS News' Robert Costa said Pennsylvania is the key to the White House.
"It's hard to see a path to the White House for either candidate that doesn't run through Pennsylvania," he said in September. "Pennsylvania is crucial when it comes to the electoral map."
With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the largest of the seven battleground states. He said a key voting block is the "working voter who is feeling a little bit of economic pain."
"If you don't win here, you have to come up with a whole combination of states that's not easy to do," Costa said.
Costa said it's no surprise that Trump and Harris are spending so much time in the state.