FULL COVERAGE
● Borys Krawczeniuk covered Vice President JD Vance's speech in West Pittston. Read about it here.
● Kat Bolus and Isabela Weiss talked with supporters and demonstrators outside the venue before the speech. Read their report here.
● Listen for updates on our WVIA-FM local news broadcasts Thursday during Morning Edition.
The WVIA News team hit the streets of West Pittston on Wednesday to cover Vice President JD Vance's speech at Don's Machine Shop, as well as reaction from supporters and demonstrators gathered outside.
Here are a few items that didn't make it into our main stories:
Looking back, and ahead?
Vance’s visit, his first to Northeastern Pennsylvania, came 11 days shy of nine years since President Donald Trump’s first visit as a presidential candidate to the region.
Trump rallied supporters inside the gym at Lackawanna College on July 27, 2016. He spoke there during the Democratic National Convention, where Democrats nominated Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose father grew up in Scranton.
Vance himself is expected to run for president in 2028. One West Pittston home nearby had a sign saying "Vance 2028."
Trump promised to revive the coal industry during that first visit. Although the industry continues to struggle, Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, who introduced Vance, said Trump has brought back “clean beautiful coal” in his One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Trump administration predicts the act will revive coal as a fuel source.
Who's who, and what's in a name?
- The audience included several other local politicians. We saw Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak and state Rep. Jamie Walsh.
- U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan flew up from Washington, D.C. with the vice president and rode with him from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, a Bresnahan spokeswoman said.
As he started his speech, Vance noted the name of Don’s Machine Shop. “My dad's name was Don. This is Don's machine shop. So, I think it's appropriate to be here,” he said.
Vance’s family history is complex. His father, Donald Ray Bowman, and his mother divorced when he was a toddler. Vance was born James Donald Bowman, but his middle name was changed to David later.
Because his mother struggled with drug addiction, Vance’s maternal grandparents, James and Bonnie Vance, raised him and a sister. His mother changed his last name to her parents’ name.
Loeffler's father was also named Don. She did not mention him by name, but said she used to sweep up “in my dad's machine shop on our Illinois farm.”
Maybe the president favors people with Dons in their families?
A backhanded shout-out for Biden
Vance referred obliquely to former President Joe Biden, the Scranton native, but Loeffler was more explicit.
“Now I have heard that Joe Biden claims this part of the Commonwealth as his own, but from what I can see ... this sure looks like Trump country,” she said, referring to the Trump-gear wearing crowd.
An eclectic musical selection
It’s always fun to wonder about the choice of music that plays before political rallies, even though Vance’s visit wasn’t strictly a political rally.
The music Wednesday mostly reflected the older crowd. The DJ, given a list to play by Vance’s advance staff, played many songs from the 1950s and 1960s. The artists included:
- The Beach Boys, whose leader, Brian Wilson, died last month. The songs played were “Surfin’ USA,” “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “God Only Knows."
- Paul McCartney & Wings and the song “Live & Let Die."
- The Police’s “Roxanne,” whose topic no one ever pays any attention to. (It’s about a man who falls in love with a prostitute).
- The Village People’s “YMCA,” a song that is or isn’t about gay people depending on who you ask about. It's a Trump favorite either way.
- Elvis Presley, who died in August 1977 (or did he?), but whose music endures. “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” and his version of “The Impossible Dream” were among the Elvis hits heard Wednesday.
- James Brown, who died on Christmas 2006. bellowed out “It’s A Man’s World” and “Please, Please, Please.” (Check out JB’s incredible performance of “Please” on The TAMI Show online.)
- Laura Brannigan, who died in August 2004, with the song “Gloria.” Its lyrics include the line, “If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody calling?” An odd sentiment for a politician.
A truly Majestic Lunch
After the West Pittston speech, Vance and Bresnahan stopped across the river in Pittston, where the congressman owns several buildings. They dropped in at Majestic Lunch on South Main Street.
Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati where Pittston Mayor Mike Lombardo attended a National League of Cities board meeting Wednesday while the vice president visited the mayor's hometown.
- The crowd, as it is at most local political rallies, was mostly white, though Trump crowds generally attract especially white crowds, a reflection of the president’s support in polling, too. The Secret Service agents protecting the venue appeared, by contrast, far more diverse than the crowd.
