Donald Trump used a mystery Oval Office announcement on Monday to unveil what the White House is billing as the largest steel plant in American history.
The $15 billion mega-plant will be built in Iowa by Mesabi Metallics and will eventually produce ten million tons of steel a year and provide over 1,700 local jobs by 2030.
The plant will be fed by the company’s new $2.5 billion iron ore mine on Minnesota‘s Mesabi Iron Range, which a White House official said is the first new iron mine in the US in 50 years.
The mine and the first phase of the plant add up to a nearly $18 billion investment, with 1,750 permanent jobs promised in Iowa – a crucial battleground in November’s midterm elections – and 350 in Minnesota.
Iowa’s Senate race – between Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and Democratic candidate Josh Turek – is shaping up to be one of the closest in the nation.
Trump heaped praise upon Hinson, who is hoping to replace outgoing Republican Joni Ernst, during the Oval Office event announcing the plant on Monday.
‘I saw some good polls just recently,’ he teased about her race, while promising to head to Iowa for a major campaign rally before the election.
A new Marist poll released last week had Hinson down 8 points to Turek, the Democrat.
Trump heaped praise upon Hinson, who is hoping to replace outgoing Republican Joni Ernst, during the Oval Office event announcing the plant on Monday
Hinson (center) is in a tight race for the Senate against Democratic candidate Josh Turek
Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Sunday
‘President Trump is delivering on his promise to rebuild American industry, reshore manufacturing, and create new jobs,’ White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.
‘Today’s announcement underscores the President’s historic efforts to revitalize the US steel industry – supporting local communities, strengthening supply chains, and protecting our national security.
‘After decades of decline, this President is restoring America’s industrial competitiveness and securing trillions of dollars in new investment.’
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Export-Import Bank chairman John Jovanovic will join Trump, alongside Mesabi chairman Rewant Ruia and CEO Joe Broking.
Mesabi is part of India’s Essar Group, which broke ground on the Minnesota site in 2008 before Essar Steel went bankrupt in 2016.
Trump celebrates with members of the USA team and their families after the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in Illinois on Sunday
Trump and his aide Natalie Harp arriving back in Washington on Sunday night
The steel news ends a morning of speculation that Trump would move against record diesel prices, which the Iran war’s squeeze on energy markets has driven to $6.52 a gallon.
Trump said on Sunday he was looking ‘very seriously’ at a diesel export ban ahead of the midterms. ‘We may do it,’ he told Fox News.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has floated restrictions rather than an outright ban, while the administration was preparing a 90-day ban, Politico reported last week.
Others bet on AI after Trump was scheduled to dine privately with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Sunday night.
Trump is also due to host House Speaker Mike Johnson and tech CEOs for a meeting on artificial intelligence on Tuesday, a source told Reuters.
