Trump is saving the American worker, one industry at a time.
Just last week, the White House announced a partnership agreement that will allow the American steel business not only to survive but thrive. The deal, more than three years in the making, was initially – and universally – condemned by Democrats, Republicans, and steel workers. So, how is it that US Steel and Japanese-owned Nippon Steel came to a business arrangement in which all parties seem happy? And could this mean the beginning of the end of the decades-long decline of steel production in the US?
According to those who follow the steel industry closely, the deal was dicey from the outset. The United Steelworkers Union, a shell of its former self, stood in opposition but was swayed by the amount of money that would come their way if Nippon were to become their partner. According to President Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social, the deal will include a $14 billion investment from the Japanese. But better yet – it will save 70 thousand jobs and keep three US steel plants open for business.
US Steel and the Monongahela Valley
The Mon Valley, as it’s known in western Pennsylvania parlance, has been steel country for over a century. Sadly, poor US trade policy has led to its demise since the 1970s, leaving proud steelworkers with nothing to do and nowhere to go. The original plan was to “retrain” this workforce – a boondoggle that never caught on and forced an exodus that left bustling communities looking like bombed-out shells of their former selves.
Now, three steel plants, the Clairton Coke Works, the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock, and the Irvin Works in West Mifflin, PA, will be humming with hot iron and coke. “This is huge for Western Pennsylvania workers, families, communities, and, of course, the U.S. Steel family,” plant manager Don German told the Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito. He continued, “I’m so happy for those employees, both management and union, that have just started their careers at U.S. Steel. This is a huge weight lifted and a huge opportunity to keep steel in the Steel City.”
This new partnership is not just a big win for the Trump Administration and the flagging steel industry but for the American worker as well. One independent analysis estimates that approximately 35 thousand new jobs will be created as a result of this new business alignment. The Pittsburgh-based enterprise was once the undisputed king of steel, producing 67% of the American commodity. Currently, the US ranks 27th in the world in terms of steel production.
The Politics of Labor
Without a doubt, this is a shrewd move by President Trump, and one wonders if it came about as a planned head fake by 47. During the 2024 campaign, both Presidents Biden and Trump opposed the deal. In January, Biden doubled down on his opposition to the move by issuing an executive order prohibiting the deal from advancing. But in just a few months, Mr. Trump did an about-face and strategically managed a win-win partnership between the two steel companies, thus making him the heavyweight champ of the working class.
Times they are A-changin’
The United Auto Workers (UAW) is now firmly in the MAGA camp due to the president’s 25% tariff on foreign automobiles. UAW President Shawn Fain was quoted in the Detroit Free Press thanking Trump “for stepping up to end the free-trade disaster that has devastated working-class communities for decades.” When a labor union president praises a Republican president, it’s time to sit up and take notice.
But wait – there’s more: Earlier this month, Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien offered kudos to the president for placing a 100% tariff on foreign films. O’Brien may be remembered for not endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. This was a direct hit against the Democratic Party, which for years, nay decades, counted on Teamster union backing.
There is no nice way to put it: This trifecta of support for President Trump is a disastrous change for the Democratic Party. Between US Steel in Pennsylvania and the autoworkers in Michigan, it may signal a crumbling of the big blue wall that could alter national elections in favor of the GOP for a generation. But for now, it seems enough that people are smiling again in the Steel City.
Liberty Nation does not endorse candidates, campaigns, or legislation, and this presentation is no endorsement.
