President Trump to campaign in Westmoreland County this week

President Donald Trump will make a campaign stop Thursday in Unity, according to his campaign website.

Trump is scheduled to speak at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport at 7 p.m. Doors open at 4 p.m.

“It’s really exciting to see him coming back into the county, he did so well there. It really goes to show the importance of Southwestern Pennsylvania,” said state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield.

She said the event will likely be smaller than the massive rallies for which the president is famous.

“I’m sure he’s going to talk about law enforcement, he’s going to talk about the economy that’s come booming back, and he’ll probably have a response to whatever Joe Biden says today in Pittsburgh,” she said Monday morning.

Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden made campaign stop in Pittsburgh Monday afternoon, where he accused Trump of sowing fear and discord.

Would-be attendees for Trump’s stop in Westmoreland County can register for tickets on the campaign’s website. Registration includes a waiver that absolves the campaign and the airport from any covid-19-related liability.

Local officials said they learned about the stop at the same time as the public.

“It was really breaking news to me. It was a rumor late last week that he might be coming,” said Bill Bretz, chairman of the county Republican Committee. “Our phones in the office and my personal phone have been ringing nonstop since this was announced. The demand for tickets is extremely high.”

Westmoreland County Airport Authority Director Gabe Monzo said he has no further information about the event.

“We were taken aback by that just as much as you were,” he said.

Trump also visited Westmoreland County during his campaign in June 2016, visiting Alumisource in Monessen to deliver a policy speech about rebuilding the American economy.

That fall, Trump won Westmoreland County by more than 30 percentage points over Hillary Clinton.

Last October, he came to Pittsburgh to give keynote remarks at the annual Shale Insight conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where he praised the jobs and strength of the oil and gas industry. He made similar comments three months prior during a visit to Royal Dutch Shell’s multibillion-dollar ethane cracker plant under construction in Beaver County.

Trump also visited Pittsburgh in October 2018, following the mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue.

With the president’s planned visit, it is clear his campaign is working hard to again win Pennsylvania. On Aug. 20, while the Democratic National Convention was underway, Trump made an appearance in Old Forge near Biden’s hometown of Scranton.

Vice President Mike Pence last month visited Greensburg, where he spoke for about 30 minutes at a “Cops for Trump” event before an estimated 400 people downtown next to the city police station. On Tuesday, Pence plans to take part in a “Workers for Trump” rally near Wilkes-Barre.