Biden tells Pittsburgh steelworkers that he, not Trump, has delivered for them

President Joe Biden blasted rival Donald Trump Wednesday during a speech to union steelworkers in Downtown Pittsburgh, assailing the former president — his expected opponent in November’s general election — for what he described as empty promises, infrastructure failures and a rollback of labor rights.

“My predecessor promised infrastructure week after week after week for four years, and never built a damn thing,” Biden told a group of about 100 supporters gathered in a fourth-floor conference room at the distinctive United Steelworkers headquarters building in Downtown Pittsburgh.

The friendly crowd, which included Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and United Steelworkers President David McCall, politely listened, applauded occasionally and whooped a few times when Biden mentioned his support for U.S. manufacturing.

McCall acknowledged the long friendship between his union and Biden, who was making his first trip back to Pittsburgh since 2022 and following a parade of cabinet members who have visited in recent months. McCall praised Biden’s record on supporting worker’s rights and ensuring fair trade for steel and other products.

“Steelworkers aren’t shy about sharing our opinions,” McCall said. “We want the kind of jobs that can help us raise families. We want fair trade so that bad actors can’t undercut our jobs. We know President Biden values this too.”

During a 20-minute speech, Biden talked about his proposals to increase tariffs on Chinese-made steel, reiterated his desire to keep Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel domestically owned, touted investments in steel and manufacturing industries from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, and spoke about respecting military members who have been killed in combat or died as a result of their service.

Wednesday’s speech marked Biden’s first visit to Southwestern Pennsylvania since October 2022, when he toured construction of the Fern Hollow Bridge in the city’s East End following its collapse that January — hours before a planned appearance by Biden to tout the infrastructure bill.

The Pittsburgh stop was the midpoint of a three-day swing through Pennsylvania for the Scranton native, who visited his hometown Tuesday and will end up Thursday in Philadelphia.

“My love of Pittsburgh goes back to Scranton. My grandfather always spoke fondly of this city,” said the 81-year-old president, who reminded the crowd that the United Steelworkers was the first union to back him during his first run for U.S. Senate at age 29.

“I am president because of you,” he said. “I am proud to be the most pro-union president in American history.”

Biden reiterated his criticism of the pending U.S. Steel sale to Japanese-owned Nippon Steel Co., adding that the iconic Pittsburgh company should remain under domestic ownership.

After the speech, Bernie Hall, United Steelworkers District 10 director, praised Biden for standing by his union as its members oppose the proposed merger, which still needs to clear regulatory hurdles. Shareholders of the steel company recently approved the $14.9 billion deal.

“For far too long, Wall Street has been getting its way,” Hall said. “Biden is supporting the union, not just the shareholders.”

Biden said his administration’s efforts are in contrast to what happened under Trump, especially when it comes to labor rights.

The president said his predecessor rolled back protections for American workers and put “union busters” on the National Labor Relations Board.

“You have my back and I promise I have your back,” Biden told the crowd of union members.

Gainey thanked Biden for his work in providing infrastructure spending and his dedication to ensuring the Fern Hollow Bridge was replaced less than a year after it collapsed. More than $25 million in funds from the infrastructure law helped pay for the new bridge.

Biden said that law has provided funding for more than 51,000 projects so far, and there will be more to come.

“We are just getting started,” he said.

Biden also said his administration is investigating China’s labor policies. If that inquiry reveals violations, Biden said that he will triple tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum amid other efforts to help prevent Chinese steel from flooding the international market. The steelworkers union supports the strategy.

White House officials said China accounts for 50% of global steel production and its export prices are 40% lower than average. Officials said American steel is cleaner than Chinese steel, and China is flooding the market at artificially low prices to hurt American production.

Biden’s visit comes as the president’s campaign launched a multimillion-dollar ad blitz in Pennsylvania Wednesday, highlighting a steelworker — Washington, Pa. Mayor Joseph “JoJo” Burgess — who supports Biden and was present at Wednesday’s speech.

Biden’s campaign has also hired dozens of staffers and established several campaign offices across the state — including in Pittsburgh.

It’s unclear how much staff and campaign infrastructure Trump has established in Pennsylvania ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

Biden’s approval ratings have been under water in Pennsylvania for most of his tenure, and the president is locked in a tight race for reelection. According to a recent CNN poll, he is in a virtual dead heat with Trump among Pennsylvania voters.

Biden’s visit attracted critics. About 50 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered along the Boulevard of the Allies across from the steelworkers building, many carrying signs or flags showing their support for Palestine.

Among them was Talya Lubit, a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh living in North Oakland. She said she wants Biden to be more forceful in his support for a ceasefire in the Israel/Hamas war.

“Everything in my bones is telling me to stand up for people,” she said. “We’ve been begging and pleading for a ceasefire for six months now.”

Biden recently called for a temporary ceasefire in order to allow for more humanitarian aid to flow to Palestinians in Gaza.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, said Biden’s visit to Pittsburgh should be a reminder of increased prices for gas and food caused by high inflation during Biden’s tenure.

Kelly said that Biden’s policies are the cause and that the president’s proposals will make things worse. The GOP congressman countered Biden’s attacks on Trump, and said Trump was responsible for a better economy with lower prices for consumers.

“The tax-and-spend policies President Biden is outlining across the commonwealth this week will only make that pain worse,” Kelly said in a statement to TribLive. “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed by President Trump created one of the best economies this nation has ever seen. I’m proud to have worked with President Trump on that incredible piece of legislation. This really is a tale of two presidencies and two distinct visions for America.”

Staff writer Julia Felton contributed to this report.