Donald Trump has deep support in the coalfields and steel-producing towns of southwest Pennsylvania, and he has promised to get the foundry furnaces burning again, to get the U.S. steel industry back to its former greatness.
“American steel will send new skyscrapers soaring,” the Republican nominee and businessman said in August, during an economic policy speech in Detroit. “We will put new American metal into the spine of this nation.”
Now, Newsweek has revealed that Trump used Chinese-made steel and aluminum to build at least two of his last three construction projects, saving himself millions. Could that harm him with the blue-collar constituency he is courting?
Pennsylvania labor leaders allied with Democrat Hillary Clinton pounced on the contradiction.
“Donald Trump claims to care about improving the economy for American workers, but his track record proves he’s a hypocrite. His use of Chinese steel falls in line with his history of producing Trump products overseas, showing little concern for working families who depend on good manufacturing jobs. Working people know that Trump is a fraud, which is why he continues to lose support among union members,” said Rick Bloomingdale, President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
“As a steelworker, I’m offended, but not surprised that Donald Trump used Chinese steel in his construction projects. Trump has a proven history of choosing to fill his own pockets rather than those of American workers. Working people can’t risk a Trump presidency, which would be driven by corporate greed” said Frank Snyder, Secretary Treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
It’s long been known that Trump has had his signature line of clothing made in China, though that has not seemed to dent his backing among white working-class voters. This is not even the first time a news organization has reported that he relied on Chinese steel. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed in July that Trump used materials shipped from Shenzhen, China to make a new Trump International Hotel in Tower in Ontario.
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