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Pence Promotes Trump Trade and Border Policies at PAGOP Dinner

CAMP HILL — Preaching about border security and tariffs, Vice President Mike Pence took on the Keystone State Thursday, showing the full court press is on to retain Pennsylvania. His visit came just 17 days after President Donald Trump’s rally in Montoursville boosting congressional candidate Fred Keller.

“I’m here for one reason and one reason only,” Pence said to the PAGOP dinner and fundraiser. “And that is Pennsylvania and America need four more years of President Donald Trump.”

The VP’s trip to south central PA included a tour at a manufacturing facility in York County with a few members of the state’s congressional delegation. The Trump re-election effort is playing up the administration’s push on combating free trade deals in the blue collar parts of the state.

“He’s putting new trade deals that are putting American jobs and American workers first and we negotiated the USMCA, which will replace NAFTA and put American workers and American jobs first,” Pence said.

The Trump administration still faces pushback from some in the GOP. Sen. Pat Toomey, whose sign was hanging up at the fundraiser, has voiced his opposition in recent months to the current form of the USMCA.

Unlike Trump’s address two weeks ago, Pence did not single out a 2020 Democratic hopeful, but instead delivered a shot at President Barack Obama, while boasting about the economy.

“Remember when President Obama was asked in 2016 about manufacturing in America?” Pence asked. “He said, ‘what magic wand do you have’, like we need a magic wand to bring it back, right.”

“We didn’t need a magic wand, we just needed President Donald Trump in the White House,” Pence said.

Outside of Pence making his Pennsylvania specific pitch to the GOP dinner, he also tapped into the more conservative positions the administration has advocated for thus far.

The VP praised former Congressman Lou Barletta, who was not in attendance, for his focus on illegal immigration “long before many people were” and said the wall was a necessity for national security.

“Pennsylvania knows what this President has said many times,” Pence said. “If you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country.”

Playing to the base, Pence likened the growing momentum in the Democratic Party of supporting late term abortions as them “embracing a culture of death”, while dubbing Trump the “most pro-life President in American history.”

Both state parties issued press releases prior to Pence’s arrival in the commonwealth.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party attacked Trump and Pence for their “broken promises” to the workers of the state.

“Pennsylvanians are fed up with the Trump administration’s broken promises to our commonwealth, and a photo-op visit from Mike Pence can’t cover up their record,” said Brandon Cwalina, party spokesperson. “Our working families and local businesses shouldn’t have to pay the price for the Trump administration’s failed leadership, but their reckless policies are hurting workers and manufacturers across Pennsylvania.”

The Pennsylvania GOP warmly welcomed Pence’s speech at the fundraiser, lauding his leadership and the amount of money raised for the evening.

“The success of the 2019 Republican Party of Pennsylvania State Dinner with special guest Vice President Mike Pence is another indication of Pennsylvania’s excitement and enthusiasm for supporting President Donald Trump and his re-election in 2020,” said PAGOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio in a release. “The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is proud to use the bounty of this successful event to support Republican candidates, campaign committees, and stakeholder efforts as we keep Pennsylvania red in 2019, 2020, and beyond.”

The PAGOP release said it was the most successful fundraiser in their history, a claim the party also made in September when Donald Trump Jr headlined the fall state committee dinner.

Pennsylvanians certainly have not seen the last of Trump, Pence or some of the 2020 Democratic hopefuls as the campaign heats up.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows that Pennsylvanians feel confident with the current state of the economy, but that is not translating to strong numbers for Trump. In hypothetical 2020 head to head matchups, Trump trails both former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders outside of the margin of error.

At the recent Trump rally, PA GOP Chair Val DiGiorgio said he doesn’t take much stock in this polling and thinks with the current state of the economy that Trump will win the state again.

“I don’t know how much stock I’m putting in polling either way, whether we’re up or down,” DiGiorgio said. “In 2016, every poll had the President down, some by double digits with 2 weeks out from the election.”

“I don’t see how the President doesn’t carry PA,” he continued.

Also announced at the meeting was that Pennsylvania National Republican Committeeman Bob Asher and Christine Toretti will lead the 2020 Trump finance effort in Pennsylvania. Due to Pence’s late arrival, no other Pennsylvania Congressional representatives spoke at length at the dinner.

10 Responses

  1. Heard Rep Mueser was there. How come no reports from politics pa on how that guy goes through staffers? His COS and Comm Dir both quit after only four months. Heard he makes Amy Klobuchar look like an Angel. Keep an eye on that guy.

  2. Pennsylvanians need only to look
    at states like California, Oregon and Washington
    to see the disastrous results of Demo leadership
    on their economies
    Our future depends on continued Trump/Pence
    Leadership

    1. “disastrous results”? Like higher minimum wages?
      California: $12/hr (adding $1/hr each year for next 3 years)
      Oregon: $11.25/hr starting July 1st
      Washington: $12/hr

      Pennsylvania: $7.25

      1. Is that your interest and ability? Minimum wage? You are hopefully better than that

        1. Jimbo-

          The only time I was ever close to minimum wage was when I was still in college, doing odd jobs.

          But, my statement was refuting the false claim of “disastrous results” on he economies of those states. They are doing a lot better there than workers in Pennsylvania. The higher minimum wages are the results of Dem leadership. Those states are success stories.

          Google: best state economies in the us

          Washington, California and Oregon are ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th. Pennsylvania is 44th.

          We have a sh*tty GOP controlled state legislature that won’t tax fracking, won’t protect the environment, won’t raise the minimum wage, won’t provide money to fix bridges and infrastructure, put gun lobby money over gun safety, keeps trying to take away women’s rights to choose, and has dipsh*ts like Daryl Metcalfe who is so homophobic that he throws a hissy-fit if another man touches his arm (yet enjoys the company of white nationalists).

          We need a Dem controlled state legislature.

    2. You might be interested in the fact that California has been ranked the fourth-best economy in the US, and that would be the fifth largest economy in the world if it were its own country. The Bay Area alone ranks 19th in the world in economic activity. Washington State ranks the third best economy in the US, and Oregon comes in fifth (that’s all from US New and World Report).

      Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s economy ranks 44th in the US. I suppose our future does depend on a continued Trump/Pence team in the Oval Office…if we want to continue being ranked 44th in the US.

  3. Pence somehow stays above the fray in what seems to be a masterstroke of brilliance. He just doesn’t get weighed down by the Trump drama nor caught up in it. I’m not sure how that is possible but he does it. Still, Trump will lose Pa unless Dems nominate Elizabeth Warren or one of the darlings of MSNBC’s Rachael Maddow and Chris Hayes.

    1. “Pence somehow stays above the fray”

      I think it’s related to his staying-in-the-closet skills.

      1. Pence somehow navigates that wacky world of Trump brilliantly and, I don’t know how he does it, but I got to give give credit where credit is due.

  4. “showing the full court press is on to retain Pennsylvania”

    The best strategy for the GOP in Pennsylvania is to stop reminding people that Trump and Pence are on the ticket.

    “Pennsylvanians certainly have not seen the last of Trump, Pence” Sad, but we will see the last of them after the 2020 election.

    “At the recent Trump rally, PA GOP Chair Val DiGiorgio said he doesn’t take much stock in this polling” .. The GOP doesn’t take much stock in temperature readings, extreme weather, pollution data, science on female reproduction or how tariffs actually work.

    “I don’t see how the President doesn’t carry PA,” he continued.

    Val, let me help you see how that happens: You make Marcel look like a good state party chairman. Marcel, for all his many faults, actually understood politics and policy. You, on the other hand, are pretty much a sock-puppet spouting talking points.

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