By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press, and wire reports
LIMA (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday brought his re-election campaign to Ohio — a state essential to his 2020 strategy — touring a military tank plant and telling many of its cheering workers: “You better love me. I kept this place open.”
Trump also used the visit to criticize John McCain, saying the late senator “didn’t get the job done for our great vets.” He complained that McCain’s family didn’t thank him for giving the senator “the kind of funeral that he wanted.” McCain died last year of brain cancer.
Trump’s visit to Ohio was his first since last year’s midterm election campaign, when the state was a rare bright spot for Republicans in the upper Midwest. But with Trump’s path to another four years in the White House relying on a victory here, his nascent campaign is mindful of warning signs that Ohio can hardly be taken for granted in 2020.
Perhaps no state has better illustrated the re-aligning effects of Trump’s candidacy and presidency than Ohio, where traditionally Democratic-leaning working-class voters have swung heavily toward the GOP, and moderate Republicans in populous suburban counties have shifted away from Trump. It’s for that reason, administration officials said, that Trump keeps returning to Ohio — this week’s visit marks his 10th to the state since taking office.
Trump visited the Lima Army Tank Plant, which had been at risk for closure but is now benefiting from his administration’s investments in defense spending. He also attended a re-election campaign fundraiser in Canton.
Trump visited days after he railed against the closure of a General Motors plant in Lordstown, a significant contributor to the economy in the eastern part of the state.
Trump continued his criticism of union leaders in his speech, saying, “They’re not honest, and they ought to lower your dues, by the way.” Last weekend he criticized a local union leader’s handling of the GM plant closure.
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, called Trump’s attacks “disgraceful” and “beneath the office of the president of the United States.”
Trump also participated in a round-table event with supporters and delivered remarks at a reception Wednesday at the Brookside Country Club in Canton, about 50 miles away from the idled auto plant. Both events are closed to press coverage.
According to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press, tickets for the reception start at $2,800. Getting a photo taken with Trump costs $15,000 and the dinner tab is $50,000 per person or $70,000 per couple.
Proceeds benefit Trump Victory, a joint fundraising effort between the Republican National Committee and Trump’s campaign.
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Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.