On April 17, President Joe Biden visited the United Steelworkers (USW) headquarters during the Pittsburgh leg of a statewide campaign tour for the 2024 presidential election. Nearly a month after USW endorsed his candidacy, Biden discussed his history with unions and promised to protect steelworkers from multinational corporations.
A pivot point for the future of steel work in Pittsburgh has been the proposed $14.9 billion buyout of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. Though U.S. Steel shareholders approved the acquisition on April 13, many politicians, including Biden, opposed the move. Biden’s speech at USW reaffirmed that stance, noting U.S. Steel’s stature as an “iconic” company that should remain “American owned” and “American operated.”
Biden also addressed competition in the steel industry with China. He suggested the potential tripling of tariff rates on steel and aluminum imports from China to promote “fair competition” with Chinese corporations.
Biden expressed his belief that in a fair fight, the United States is well positioned to win the economic battles of the 21st century. Biden’s proposed policies are elements of a greater shift in American politics toward protectionism, away from the free market policies of the 1990s and 2000s, when China was admitted to the World Trade Organization.
As a component of his economic strategy, Biden credited unions as the foundation of the modern American economy. Biden said he was “proud to be the most pro-union president in American history,” and referenced the role of union voters in his own political successes.
Noting complaints from American labor unions on anticompetitive Chinese industrial practices, Biden promised strategic action if an administration investigation found that Chinese companies were indeed artificially lowering prices.
A week before Biden’s Pennsylvania tour, former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump held his own campaign rally in Lehigh Valley, Pa.
The crucial swing state has featured heavily in each candidates’ 2024 campaign programs. Biden and Trump have made a combined 10 stops here this year. In November, the winner of Pennsylvania will gain crucial points in the White House race.
In the last four presidential elections, the winner of Pennsylvania won the general election. The number of recent campaign stops in Pennsylvania reflects its status as a critical battleground state.
Biden’s 2020 victory in Pennsylvania came by an 80,000 margin out of almost 7 million votes and Trump’s 2016 victory was by a 45,000 vote margin. In an election where polls indicate an almost even split between the two candidates, Pennsylvania may again prove decisive.
The President began his Pittsburgh remarks by iterating on his personal ties to Pennsylvania and its industrial history. Later, Biden touched on the similarities between his hometown of Scranton, Pa., and Pittsburgh.
Biden said that he hopes to build the economy up through the middle class neighborhoods of places like Scranton and Pittsburgh, and mentioned a shared value system he gained from his parents growing up in Pennsylvania.
Biden concluded his remarks with a roundup of his economic successes. He cited a record 15 million new jobs created under his administration, and a 50-year low in unemployment. Biden also cited a $680 billion figure of private sector investment in manufacturing and clean energy.
In each case, Biden tied the accomplishment back to Pennsylvania: 482,000 new Pennsylvania jobs and $4 billion in Pennsylvania investment.
Recent polling gives Biden and Trump roughly equal odds at taking Pennsylvania in the November election.
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