Trump touts jobs, industry at Marcellus shale conference in Pittsburgh

Hours after President Donald Trump announced at the White House that Turkey has agreed to a cease fire in Syria, he boarded Air Force One with seven Pennsylvania Republican House members and shifted into campaign mode as the plane headed toward a Marcellus shale conference in Downtown Pittsburgh.

“Nobody does it better than the hard-working men and women of Marcellus shale country,” Trump said Wednesday afternoon to an audience of more than 1,500 people, a mix of attendees with the Shale Insight 2019 industry conference and members of the public invited inside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to hear Trump speak. “Wouldn’t it be great if New York realized what they were sitting on top of?”

Trump praised Pennsylvania as being “the best” in the United States when it comes to natural gas production. He vowed to continue to expedite permitting processes and other obstacles that get in the way of the industry’s rapid growth.

Trump’s remarks, which lasted a little more than an hour, echoed much of what he said when he visited the region less than three months ago. He also referenced the pledges he made at the Shale Insight conference in the same venue as a presidential candidate in 2016.

“You’re much happier than when I was here three years ago, you’re much happier now,” Trump said. “And you’re much wealthier, and you’re providing a lot more energy than you used to, that’s for sure.”

Trump reiterated many of the same points he made to hundreds of construction workers at the Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County in August.

Among them:

• The Trump administration has “ended the war on American energy” and “the assault on energy workers.” He vowed to continue reducing regulatory burdens and expanding pipelines and drilling across the country.

• The Trump administration has made the U.S. the “greatest energy superpower in the history of the world.” He also cited his expectations for growth in the coal, steel and manufacturing sectors.

• The “do-nothing Democrats” are bad for this country and must be stopped, Trump said. He accused Democrats of wanting to increase the number of “sanctuary cities” and take away guns. But he credited them with having less division than Republicans: “They don’t have a Mitt Romney,” Trump said. “We’ve got to stick together.”

At 11 a.m., Trump delivered remarks from the White House streamed to social media announcing a major foreign policy development: The U.S. is lifting all newly imposed sanctions on Turkey following an apparent cease fire and peace agreement in Syria and Turkey. Critics say the biggest winners in the deal are expected to be Turkey and Russia.

Air Force One touched down in Pittsburgh at 2:44 p.m.

Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation followed behind the president, who waved briefly to a few dozen supporters — including one waving a red “Trump Towel” — at the National Guard’s 171st Refueling Wing near the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Though protests since the early morning had spurred arrests and road closures, the presidential motorcade entered the convention center through the loading docks and did not confront or pass by any protesters or groups of supporters once Downtown.

“Oh, I’m proud to be an American,” blared from the speakers as Trump took the stage to the song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Trump did not talk about Turkey, Syria or Russia during his speech in Pittsburgh, instead focusing primarily on jobs, industry and “keeping America great.”

He did mention Paris, France — but only to reassure once again that he “represents Pittsburgh, not Paris” in his decision to pull out of the Paris Accord, the global agreement aimed to address the impacts of climate change.

“What we don’t do is punish the Americans people while enriching foreign polluters,” Trump said. “It’s called America first, finally.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto still keeps his June 1, 2017 response to the first time Trump made the claim referencing this city pinned to the top of the mayor’s Twitter profile.

“As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future,” Peduto writes in the tweet.

“His statements about energy are wrong, and stuck in an outdated 19th Century mindset,” Peduto said Wednesday in a statement. “The Pittsburgh region is thriving and has moved on to a 21st Century economy based on technology and clean energy production. President Trump’s outdated vision for Western Pennsylvania and the Rust Belt would put the final nails into the coffin of those struggling communities his economy has left behind.”

“Our air is as clean as it’s been in decades,” Trump said during his speech. “We’re at a very, very good point environmentally right now.”

At one point, a small group of Jewish protesters started chanting, “Trump endangers Jews,” eliciting a rage of boos. The protesters were escorted out by security.

“Go home to your mommy,” Trump told the protesters to laughter and applause.

Trump spent a full minute slamming U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, the rising-star moderate Democrat and former Marine from Mt. Lebanon who, amid redistricting, won two elections months apart to secure a seat in Congress.

Lamb, Trump said, likes “my policies … But he never votes with me.” Trump endorsed Sean Parnell to unseat Lamb in 2020.

The president’s speech also hit on common themes on Trump’s Twitter account, including “fake news” and “witch hunts,” referring to the impeachment inquiry regarding Ukraine and the Mueller investigation.

Pennsylvania Democrats blasted Trump’s economic policies, saying their constituents have been left behind.

“The Trump economy is not working,” said state Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport. “My Mon Valley constituents are frustrated by closed factories. They’re frustrated by the lack of a good plan that will make prescription drugs more affordable.”

Davis cited the July closing of the Riverbend Foods North Side plant, which resulted in the layoff of 400 workers.

Megan Tomasic and Natasha Lindstrom are Tribune-Review staff writers. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MeganTomasic. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@tribweb.com or via Twitter @NewsNatasha. Stephen Huba contributed to this report.