Mon Valley leaders react to President Trump’s deal with Nippon Steel after years of work

CLAIRTON, Pa. — Mon Valley leaders are reacting to the news that President Trump approved a merger of Japan-based Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> President Trump announces deal with Nippon Steel, keeps U.S. Steel headquarters in Pittsburgh

“Immediately overtaken with emotion and joy,” West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly said.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to cry,” Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi said. Lattanzi worked for U.S. Steel for 30 years. “I don’t care republican, democrat. What a great thing for the Mon Valley and the whole United States.”

Kelly tells Channel 11 he saw the President’s post first and called his fellow mayors.

“It was like a celebration each time you told somebody. A lot of screaming, ‘we did it, we did it,’” Kelly said. “There’s no feeling like you get when you see everything you worked for coming to reality.”

President Trump’s post on Truth Social came just before 3:30 Friday afternoon. He is calling it a “partnership” to the tune of a more than $14 billion investment.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> Political leaders, steelworkers react to President Trump’s announcement of deal with Nippon Steel

Trump added it’ll create 70,000 jobs. Other republican lawmakers, including Sen. Dave McCormick, put that number at 11,000 jobs saved and at least 14,000 created.

Sen. John Fetterman also praised the deal after vowing to block the original deal in 2023.

U.S. Steel issued a statement saying in part:

“U.S. Steel will remain American, and we will grow bigger and stronger through a partnership with Nippon Steel that brings massive investment, new technologies and thousands of jobs over the next four years.”

USW International President David McCall issued a statement saying:

“We cannot speculate about the impact of today’s announcement without more information. Our concern remains that Nippon, a foreign corporation with a long and proven track record of violating our trade laws, will further erode domestic steelmaking capacity and jeopardize thousands of good, union jobs.”

Kelly is calling this a steel renaissance.

“I think steel in Pittsburgh and the legacy of over 120 years of steel in Pittsburgh depended on this deal to go through,” Kelly said.

“It’s as big as the 4th of July. There should be fireworks and everything,” Lattanzi said.

President Trump is planning a rally for May 30th at U.S. Steel. ,

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