President Donald Trump holds rally in Harrisburg

Annie McCormick Image
Sunday, April 30, 2017
President Donald Trump holds rally in Harrisburg
President Donald Trump holds rally in Harrisburg. Annie McCormick reports during Action News at 11 p.m. on April 29.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPVI) -- President Trump marked his 100th day with a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Saturday evening.

Before the rally, Trump visited the AMES Companies in Pennsylvania's Cumberland County, a shovel manufacturer since 1774. With that backdrop he signed an executive order directing the Commerce Department and the U.S. trade representative to conduct a study of U.S. trade agreements. The goal is to determine whether America is being treated fairly by its trading partners and the 164-nation World Trade Organization.

He said he'd rather be in Pennsylvania on his 100th day instead of going to the White House correspondents' dinner, then he and the crowd spent some time criticizing the media. Then he switched gears and talked about what he has done and what he promises to do.

Vice-President Pence introduced President Trump. Both chose to spend day 100 back in Pennsylvania.

"I love this state. And I love the people of this state. It's special and it carried us through a big beautiful victory," said President Trump.

Trump's rally Saturday night in Harrisburg offered a familiar recapitulation of what he and aides have argued for days are administration successes, including the successful nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, his Cabinet choices and the approval of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

His health care repeal and replace bill was introduced but remains stalled tonight. The administration vowed to fulfill that and other campaign promises.

Trump added, "We need the wall. And we will build the wall. We are proposing major tax relief for the middle class. And lowering the business tax from 35% - all the way down to 15%."

Trump has also signed thirty executive orders, critics arguing that is an abuse of power.

But the president began the rally on a sour note, pointing out that he was not attending that night's White House Correspondents' Association dinner and issuing a scathing attack on the news media. To cheers, he accused the news media of "fake news" and said if their job was to be honest and tell the truth, then they deserved "a big, fat failing grade."

We spoke to people from the Delaware Valley who made the trip to Harrisburg.

Kevin Post of Cherry Hill, New Jersey said, "Everything he's promised, like NAFTA. He's taking care of the veterans, the bombing of Syria."

Another Cherry Hill, New Jersey resident Pei Yu Wong said, "I think he's doing great. He's pretty much living up to all the promises he said he would do."

Chester County resident Alexandria Ruf said," I think he's done great these 100 days. And again it is 100 days, and it takes longer to make sure it's right. He's not going to do just half the work. He's going to do 110% of the work."

There were protests going on, and one group says they are protesting for Trump to release his tax returns and his new tax plan saying it will slash taxes for wealthy Americans.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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