By Gram Slattery and David Shepherdson
YORK, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday vowed to roll back Biden administration rules limiting pollution from power plants and reiterated his pledge to block Nippon Steel Corp’s planned takeover of U.S. Steel.
In his most detailed economic remarks of the campaign so far, President Trump doubled down on his pledge to significantly restrict foreign access to the U.S. market and vowed to make supply chains for essential goods 100% American-made if he wins the Nov. 5 election.
Trump did not elaborate on how he would achieve that goal, other than calling for broad measures such as imposing tariffs on other countries.
The former president spoke to a crowd of supporters at a factory site in the working-class town of York, Pennsylvania, on the first stop of a battleground state tour this week aimed at shifting attention away from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and slowing the momentum of his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some allies and advisers have pressed Trump to avoid personal attacks on Harris, particularly on her race and gender, and instead focus on policy issues.
Trump largely followed that advice on Monday, calling Harris a “communist” and slandering her policy positions (some of which he misrepresented), but only attacking her personally once, about 45 minutes into the hour-long speech, when he insulted her for laughing.
President Trump signaled in February that he would block the merger with Nippon U.S. Steel, which has unnerved some union members, a key voting bloc in Pennsylvania and other Rust Belt battleground states that could decide the election.
“I will stop Japan from buying United Steel,” Trump said. “Japan should not be allowed to buy it.”
U.S. Steel issued a statement in response to Trump’s remarks, saying it was “committed to pursuing a transaction with Nippon Steel that is best for our employees, shareholders, communities and customers.”
The company added that “partnering with Nippon Steel, a long-standing investor in the United States from our close ally, Japan, will strengthen the U.S. steel industry, American jobs and U.S. supply chains, making the U.S. steel industry more competitive and resilient against China.”
U.S. Steel shares have been trending lower, closing down about 6% after reports of Trump’s planned remarks. President Joe Biden said in March that it was vital for U.S. Steel to “remain a domestically owned and operated American steel company.”
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Trump also promised to repeal rules announced in April by the Environmental Protection Agency that aimed to limit air and water pollution from power plants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1 billion tonnes by 2047. Nearly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution comes from the electricity sector, according to the EPA.
“This would be a catastrophe for our country,” Trump said. “Instead of closing plants, we’re going to open dozens more. And we’re going to do it fast.”
Trump said his administration would activate more “advanced small modular reactors” and invoke the Defense Production Act to increase production of essential products.
Trump has promised broad tax cuts for households, businesses, Social Security and gratuities while also saying he would significantly reduce the budget deficit, a claim that has been cast doubt on by experts on good government.
In a brief interview with Reuters after the event, Trump said he would consider repealing a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, and said he would welcome billionaire Elon Musk into his administration if he agreed. Musk, CEO of electric car maker Tesla and a staunch Trump supporter, would lose business if the tax credit was repealed.
Pennsylvania has emerged as one of the most crucial states in the presidential election, with most polls showing Harris and Trump virtually neck and neck.
As a testament to the state’s importance, Trump campaigned in the northeastern part of the state over the weekend while Harris toured the western part, and on Monday, Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, addressed supporters in Philadelphia.
(Reporting by Graham Slattery and David Shepardson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Lisa Shumaker and Deepa Babington)
