“How come you don’t pay the tariffs?” Trump said. “You build your factory here and hire American workers. It’s quite simple.” (Mac Trucks via LinkedIn)
key takeaways:
- President Donald Trump visited Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley Operations plant on June 23 and talked about tariffs, energy policy and manufacturing jobs tied to truck production.
- Trump said tariffs and easier emissions rules would protect domestic truck manufacturing, while Mack cited $400 million in plant upgrades and recent job recalls.
- Trump urged Mack and union representatives to ease labor negotiations as the company works out a 15,000-truck contract.
MACUNGEE, Pa. – A campaign-style visit to Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley Operations plant turned into a policy-heavy rally as President Donald Trump linked his economic and energy agenda to the fate of heavy-duty truck builders, auto workers and Pennsylvania’s manufacturing base.
Speaking to a crowd of employees, local officials and political aides on June 23, the President repeatedly defined Mack trucks as a symbol of domestic industrial strength and his business vision.
“Today I am especially honored to be at the place that makes Mack trucks, some of the toughest vehicles on the road,” Trump said. “Very soon all American roads will be filled with American trucks.”
He also used the trip to defend his long-term tariff policies, arguing that they promoted new factory construction and protected domestic truck and auto manufacturing. He cited 25% tariffs on foreign automobiles and medium and heavy trucks, as well as 50%-100% on foreign steel.
“How come you don’t pay the tariffs?” Trump said. “You build your factory here and hire American workers. It’s quite simple.”
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In a nod to Mack Trucks, Trump repeatedly referenced the internal pursuit of a 15,000-truck contract, using it to underscore the stakes of domestic production and pricing pressure.
“They’re trying to get a contract for 15,000 trucks,” he told the rally crowd. “15,000 trucks, that’s a lot of trucks.
“If your price is right… maybe we’ll lower it a bit.”
Trump spoke to a crowd of staffers, local officials and political allies on June 23. (Michael Freese/Transportation Topics)
Trump mixed contract negotiations, campaign messaging and local politics. He urged MAC leadership and union representatives to “give up a little” on labor contract negotiations.
The event relied heavily on Mack’s workforce and its union leadership as a surrogate for Trump’s manufacturing-focused platform, recognizing Mack Trucks President Stephen Roy, UAW committee members and a three-generation family of Mack Trucks employees.
In one of the clearest policy signals to manufacturers and fleets, Trump said he has moved to eliminate “crazy electric vehicle mandates,” and specifically targeted a set of emissions standards that he said would “crush Mack trucks.”
Addressing Roy directly, he said, “I’ve eliminated fuel emissions standards that would have crushed the Mack trucks here.” “If I don’t do this your company will be ruined. …It was the craziest environmental regulation ever conceived by man.”
Trump argued that relaxing those rules would allow OEMs to sell trucks “for much less money”, preserve diesel and hybrid options with electric powertrains and continue production in U.S. plants rather than shifting EV output overseas.
“If you like electric cars, I think it’s awesome,” he said. “But you should have the right to buy regular…if you want to have gas, if you want to have hybrid, you can have whatever you want.”
Roy spoke first. (Michael Freese/Transportation Topics)
Roy was the first speaker, welcoming supporters to the LVO plant and saying it is emerging as the centerpiece of American manufacturing, showcasing multiyear investment incentives, steady job growth and strong local and federal support. He also highlighted the more than $400 million investment made over the past decade to expand and upgrade the facility, as well as the recent investment of more than $1 billion in a new lineup of advanced trucks manufactured at the plant.
Connected:Mac aims growth on the highway with Pioneer, new Anthem
The Lehigh Valley Operations facility produces a range of models designed for different customers and regions, including Pioneer longhaul trucks, Anthem regional-haul models, Granite construction trucks and Keystone – a new offering named for Pennsylvania.
The plant expansion has had an immediate local economic impact, including the recall of more than 150 employees in the past year and optimism for a strong second half of 2026.
Local lawmakers and federal officials speaking at the event touted these developments as part of a broader resurgence in American manufacturing, pointing to new federal defense appropriations and other investments that support domestic production at facilities like Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley plant.
