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Peter Navarro: Why Trump is set to win Pennsylvania — and the election

Wed Oct 30 2024
MXM Exclusive

Quick Hit:

Peter Navarro, former Director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing, argues in an op-ed that Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 support of Pennsylvania's defense and manufacturing sectors will likely secure his victory in the Keystone State, a pivotal battleground for the 2024 election.

Key Details:

  • According to Navarro, the Obama-Biden administration’s defense cuts cost Pennsylvania’s economy $2.4 billion, leading to layoffs and business closures.

  • Trump’s 2017 Executive Order 13806 identified and fixed critical gaps in America’s defense industrial base, including Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia shipyard.

  • Trump’s investments supported critical defense facilities in the state, including a $5 billion upgrade for combat vehicle production and $31 million in steel forging for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Diving Deeper:

In an October 30 RealClearPolitics op-ed, former Trump manufacturing advisor Peter Navarro describes how Donald Trump’s “America First” policies are resonating with Pennsylvanians heading into the 2024 election. Navarro contends that Pennsylvania’s manufacturing and defense industries—particularly hard-hit by Obama-Biden era policies—have witnessed a revival under Trump’s leadership, which could lead to a decisive win in the Keystone State.

Navarro, who served as the Director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing, recalls how Trump’s early response to Pennsylvania’s struggling economy included Executive Order 13806. This executive order, signed in 2017, was the first attempt by a U.S. president to pinpoint deficiencies in the nation’s defense industrial base and lay out a plan for restoring capacity. As a result, the Philadelphia shipyard—"once the pride of America’s shipbuilding industry"—received a crucial investment of $630 million for new U.S. Merchant Marine Academy training ships. Thanks to this revitalization, the shipyard workforce expanded from only 80 workers to over 1,000. “Neither the workers at the yard nor their families have forgotten,” Navarro wrote.

Navarro also points to Trump’s allocation of $5 billion to the BAE Systems combat vehicle plant in York, Pennsylvania, funding that upgraded production for the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program and Bradley Fighting Vehicle systems. Another key Trump action was his signing of the Patriot inventory protection provision under the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which secured the Letterkenny Army Depot’s role in maintaining the nation’s Patriot anti-missile system.

The op-ed further highlights Trump's defense production initiatives, including his $31 million allocation under Title III of the Defense Production Act to North American Forge Masters for forging iron and steel components critical to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Navarro recounts his visit to the plant, describing the awe-inspiring work he witnessed on a massive ship propeller.

Beyond defense, Trump’s tariffs on foreign steel, which Navarro credits with spurring hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, boosted Pennsylvania’s steel industry, benefiting local companies and communities such as Allegheny Technologies, Cleveland-Cliffs, and U.S. Steel. Navarro asserts that these investments have secured jobs for Pennsylvanians, with Trump’s $56 million award to ArcelorMittal, for instance, sustaining 600 jobs in Coatesville.

Summing up Trump’s impact, Navarro writes, “Trump rightly understood that America’s industrial capacity is vital to our economic and national security.” His investments, Navarro argues, have not only helped Americans domestically but have also strengthened U.S. national security abroad. This approach, he concludes, has resonated strongly with Pennsylvanians, particularly working-class voters across manufacturing hubs who have seen jobs return under Trump’s policies. For Navarro, these “Trump Democrats” may be decisive in next week’s election.

Peter Navarro, who has authored The New MAGA Deal: The Unofficial Deplorables Guide to Donald Trump’s 2024 Platform, makes a compelling case that Trump’s focus on Pennsylvania’s defense and manufacturing economy could be key to his reelection.

"Trump Billboard in Pennsylvania" by Oleg Yunakov licensed under (CC BY-SA 4.0)



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