GRANITE CITY, Ill. — President Donald Trump was in Granite City, Illinois Thursday afternoon to speak before the men and women who are going back to work at the USS Steel plant in this blue collar town. He touted his policies that he says helped deliver those jobs at the steel mill.
The president visited Granite City in the aftermath of U.S. Steel Granite City Works restarting one of its idle furnaces after two years of idle operations. President Trump is expected to tour the steel mill during his visit.
Trump, on board Air Force One, landed in St. Louis just after 2:30 p.m. He first went to Dubuque, Iowa and then Granite City, Illinois.
In a statement to 5 On Your Side, U.S. Steel Corporation said, "U. S. Steel has a long history of welcoming elected officials, including presidents, to our facilities. We look forward to continuing that tradition by welcoming President Trump to our Granite City Works facility this week."
In March, Trump announced new steel tariffs, which imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on aluminum. The steel mill in Granite City saw a direct effect from his new policy, something which the Trump administration has used as a sort of highlight reel in the midst of an ongoing trade war in the months since.
