Trump keeps on truckin’

President Donald Trump drove home his “America First” theme Wednesday when he appeared before an enthusiastic, by-invitation-only crowd of about a thousand supporters and admirers, including scores of truckers, at Fort Indiantown Gap near Harrisburg.

Standing in a massive aircraft hangar in front of a huge tractor-trailer with a sign that read “Win Again: Truckers for Tax Reform,” Trump told the cheering crowd that truckers will experience lower taxes, bigger paychecks and more jobs under his administration’s tax plan.

To wild cheers, he also promised that the plan will result in an additional $4,000-a-year tax break for most middle-class households. “We’re going to cut taxes for everyday, hardworking people,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., whose district includes parts of Carbon County, accompanied the president on his trip from Washington. Barletta said he was honored to be home in Pennsylvania with the president to “talk to hardworking Americans about how we can help them keep more of their money and spend less of their time filing taxes.”

Barletta branded the current tax code outdated and too complex for American families and small businesses.

“The president understands that the American people know better than the federal government how best to spend their money. I look forward to discussing with President Trump how tax reform can spur job growth and economic opportunity in Pennsylvania and across the country,” Barletta said.

In introducing members of the Republican congressional delegation in the audience, Trump made a slip of the tongue by saying that Barletta is a candidate for governor. He quickly corrected himself, noting that Barletta is a declared candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Casey Jr. of Scranton. Trump predicted that Barletta, one of the president’s earliest and most ardent supporters, would win by a large margin in 2018.

Not everyone shares Trump’s rosy view of his tax plan. Earlier in the day, at a news conference, three opponents of the plan said it is a “massive giveaway for the wealthy and corporations that will be paid for by working families.”

Marc Stier, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center and two others also said the Trump tax plan will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit, raise taxes for 30 percent of middle-income families, and force budget cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, public education and other priorities for American families, including disaster relief.

Among a large group of Pennsylvania state legislators in attendance was Zach Mako, the freshman house of representatives member whose district includes parts of Northampton and Lehigh counties.

Mako said that this was the first time he had ever been in the presence of a president of the United States, and he said he found the experience more moving and more emotional than he had anticipated. “He was well-received, and there were good vibes,” Mako said. “I think he is doing a good job, and he has been more presidential of late.”

A Trump supporter, the youngest legislator in the state General Assembly at 27, said, “We’re moving in the right direction.”

Mako said he is confident that the economic gains that the nation has seen since Trump was elected will translate into renewed vitality in Pennsylvania.

Mako explained that security was tight. He had to present his invitation before being allowed to board a bus which took guests to the hangar where the president would be speaking. Once there, guests had to go through metal detectors, submit to a wand check and had to empty their pockets. Military police, state police and the Secret Service were highly visible throughout the event, he said.

Mako said he saw some Antifa (anti-fascist) demonstrators near the grounds, but they were far away from where the president was located and not allowed near the site.

State Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, was scheduled to attend, but he said pressing constituent business forced him to cancel at the last minute.

Trump clearly played to the partisan crowd of truck drivers. “You are our heroes,” he told them. “You’re going to make more money and do better than ever before,” he promised them.

Criticizing what he called “economic surrender” by previous administrations, Trump said, “You’ve driven past the shuttered factories, watched thriving communities become ghost towns and witnessed America’s wealth chipping away to foreign lands.” He added: “Now is our time to reclaim America’s destiny.”

The crowd was smaller than for Trump’s last visit to the state in April, when he held a large rally at the Farm Show complex in Harrisburg to celebrate his 100th day in office. This was his third visit to the Keystone States since taking office on Jan. 20.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com