Trump speaks for over 90 minutes, wraps after wide-ranging remarks
8:47 p.m.: President Donald Trump's speech wraps up after 96 minutes.
You can find our full report on it here.
— Borys Krawczeniuk
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Trump takes the stage at Mount Airy
7:09 p.m.: President Donald Trump has taken the stage at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Paradise Township, Monroe County. He began speaking at 7:11 p.m.
We will continue to provide live updates this evening in this space. Full coverage of his speech will follow in a separate story at WVIA.org, and Wednesday morning on WVIA FM.
— Borys Krawczeniuk
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Demonstrators turn out in Monroe County to protest Trump's message, policies
Protestors lined Route 611 for hours to give President Donald Trump a piece of their mind – if only for a fleeting moment while his motorcade sped by around 6:45 p.m.
“What do we want?” a man yelled from a megaphone as police cars with their lights on led the president in the beast to Mount Airy Casino in Mount Pocono.
The crowd responded “affordability.”
He asked when they wanted it. They yelled back “now.”
The group of around 100 started filling the sidewalk on either side of the road around 4 p.m. They held signs, chanted and shared disgust for the mounting expenses they’re facing.
Yehudit Moch’s son is a Navy veteran who uses food assistance programs, like SNAP.
“Those were taken away from him and that’s as a vet,” she said.
Moch also says he might not be able to afford his healthcare.
Moch and her wife live in Pike County. She held a sign that read “the Poconos' economy won’t bet on Trump.”
“The kind of lies he’s telling that his policies haven’t led to affordability problems, things are getting worse and worse for the average person. What he tried doing with SNAP, what he tried doing with healthcare. There are lines, such long lines now, for food pantries and things are going to get a lot worse this winter,” she said. “And this whole sham coming to a casino, yeah, we won’t bet our economy on his lies and a lot of people’s lives are going to get a lot worse.”
Elijah Carpenter is part of Sunrise Scranton, a climate activist group that fights for civil rights.
“I think pretty much everything he (Trump) does is to give and help all the rich people in his life and that’s how he’s making his decisions,” he said.
He protested despite the 20-degree weather.
“We are people that are directly impacted. I’m trans and Trump hates us and … literally ran on a campaign of hate towards people like us and so we just want to get the world to be a better place.”
Sisters Isabel Smith and Andrea Paskin wore pink caps like those worn during the Women’s March in D.C. during Trumps’ first term. They’re from Pike County and protest every Wednesday in Milford.
“Money is at the root of all of what they’re doing. And it has nothing to do with ideology or policy, it’s about grabbing as much as they can for themselves and their cronies and everybody else they are not considering,” Paskin said.
Smith added: “Over 30% of Pike County is on Medicaid and the food pantries can’t keep up with the demand.”
Megan Kocher from Rural Organizing helped plan the protest.
“We heard that Donald Trump is coming to Northeastern Pennsylvania, on his economy-focused tour, which frankly upset a lot of us considering the fact that he very recently called affordability a hoax,” she said.
The president called affordability a “con job by the democrats” during a cabinet meeting last week, according to NPR.
Organizers passed out gloves and blankets to anyone in need and collected food for local pantries.
“We’re treating today as a mutual aid event. I know the guys up the road at the exclusive casino event don’t care, I mean actually celebrated SNAP benefits being delayed. But that’s not us. We’re going to do everything we can to bridge the gaps of what I view as a failing government,” Kocher said.
— Kat Bolus
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Warm-up acts at Mount Airy as crowd waits for Trump
6:20 p.m.: The start time for President Donald Trump's 6 p.m. speech has come and gone, but he is en route to Mount Airy and other speakers have addressed the crowd in the meanwhile.
Among them:
Rep. Dan Meuser, R-9, Luzerne
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, Luzerne
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-7, Lehigh
Energy Secretary Chris Wright
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Also in the audience: State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
— Borys Krawczeniuk
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VIDEO: Trump has landed at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport
6:05 p.m.: President Donald Trump landed at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport within the last 10 minutes.
Trump was greeted by dignitaries on the tarmac, including U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, before transferring from Air Force One to Marine One to complete his journey to Monroe County. See attached video for scenes from the president's arrival.
— Alexander Monelli
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How Pennsylvanians are feeling about the economy ahead of Trump's rally
5:35 p.m: Our national counterparts at NPR spoke with some residents of the commonwealth about their views on the economy ahead of the president's arrival.
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Trump supporters fired up to hear president’s plans to strengthen American economy
4:38 p.m.: A line of excited supporters wrapped around the side of the Mount Airy Casino Resort in the bitter December cold.
Several said they are from the Poconos and looked forward to hearing how the president plans to drive down inflation and protect the heartland from foreign interests.
Some were first-time voters.
Lisa Ellefsen, who lives nearby, said she chose to vote in memory of her youngest son, Vincenzo Scrofano, who passed in 2023 and was “the biggest Trump fan.”
“[Trump] is the first president that I have ever voted for in my entire life. I’m 60 years old … and I just wanted to let him (Trump) know that I buried my son in his shirt … and let him know how much we are very appreciative of what he’s done because of the way the world’s going,” Ellefsen said.
She said she was also motivated to vote for Trump because of his “Christian heart"
“And that’s what we need, is somebody who is going to guide us in the right direction … I mean, everybody’s going to make mistakes, but it’s hard to bring back an economy in just … eight months … but God put him in his place for a reason,” Ellefsen said.
Diane Grilz, a retired New York University graduate school administrator who now lives in East Stroudsburg, said she is hopeful that Trump’s tariffs against other countries will protect the United States in the global marketplace.
She added she feels that current issues with tariffs, particularly in manufacturing costs as her husband works in local manufacturing outside of the Scranton-area, will be short-lived as the American economy finds a new equilibrium where more manufacturing is U.S.-based.
“I see it as temporary. It’s short-term pain for long-term gain. And a lot of the tariffs are a matter of making it more equal, [so] that we are no longer up against tariffs that other countries have put on us,” Grilz said
Alexander Flynn, District Legislative Aide to State Rep. Jamie Walsh (R-Luzerne), said Trump’s tariff policies will incentivize companies to build in America. He also added that he was speaking on behalf of his own opinions, not as Walsh’s representative.
“I think his first term in office remade the Republican Party on social issues as well as foreign policy … [He took] on the establishment neo-cons (neo-conservatives) and showed that it’s okay for America to go first. You know, you can help your friends, but when you’re in a bad situation yourself (domestically) you need to be standing on solid ground before you can help your friends, because a country that can’t feed itself and can’t be confident in its security doesn’t know what freedom is."
Meanwhile, inside the ballroom where Trump is scheduled to speak, the first two rows of seats have been reserved for members of the DeNaples family.
The Dunmore-based family, led by brothers Louis and Dominick DeNaples, own Mount Airy Casino Resort.
— Isabela Weiss and Borys Krawczeniuk
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Democrats criticize Trump’s affordability crisis ahead of Monroe County visit
3:16 p.m.: Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis on Tuesday said Trump “refuses to see how Pennsylvanians are struggling.”
His remarks came during a Zoom press call hosted by Defend America Action, an anti-Trump political organization, ahead of this evening's presidential speech.
Davis said Trump’s policies force everyday Pennsylvanians to rely on ‘buy now, pay later’ services, forgo costly medical treatments and worry whether they can afford to heat their homes.
“He thinks that what Americans are going through is just a ‘con job’,” Davis said during Tuesday’s call.
“The affordability crisis is real … Trump’s visit to Pennsylvania will not distract Pennsylvanians,” Davis said.
He also attacked Trump’s tariffs against other countries and said they have cost Pennsylvanians $1.6 billion this year.
But most of Davis’ critiques and the call hinged around Trump’s policies against the Affordable Care Act, which was instated under Barack Obama’s presidency. Davis said Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), also known as food stamps, will lead to hospital closures and endangers rural Pennsylvanians’ lives.
Davis said Pennsylvania has increased funding for local areas on aging, and other medical investments, but that state lawmakers and officials cannot mitigate Trump’s damage to Pennsylvania's healthcare system.
State Rep. and Democratic Whip Mike Schlossberg (D-Lehigh) said Trump’s decision to cut more than a trillion dollars from the Affordable Care Act “hurts the most vulnerable” Pennsylvanians.
He said his district represents about 65,000 people and he sees some constituents have to choose between purchasing healthcare insurance and groceries because of Trump’s policies.
“Pennsylvanians aren’t stupid. My constituents are not stupid — they understand when you kick off 300,000 people from SNAP [it will be more expensive for everyone,]” Schlossberg said.
State Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny) is an emergency physician and said he is the only doctor currently serving in the state legislature. He said he has heard from his constituents that if their ACA premiums double in 2026, they will not be able to afford medical care. He also criticized Trump’s policies towards farmers and the $12 billion “bail-out” Trump announced yesterday.
Venkat also was critical of Trump’s ICE policies and said Trump is “deporting every immigrant [he] can find.”
“[That is] something I take personally as the only immigrant and naturalized citizen in our state legislature,” Venkat said.
One non-politician also spoke during Tuesday’s call.
Nurse and healthcare advocate Jennifer Partyka said Medicaid cuts will lead to further hospital closures around the state.
“Can you imagine Pennsylvania with less hospitals?” She stressed that Medicaid is one of the top five payers for hospitals around the country.
She said one of her sons was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 26, which means he cannot rely on her health insurance for life-saving medical treatment. He will need chemotherapy every eight weeks for the rest of his life.
Partyka said claims that people on Medicaid are just ‘using the system’ are not in line with reality.
“My son, like so many people on Medicaid, works 40 hours a week … They are your friends and your patients. Many people on medicaid are hard working people who simply do not get health insurance from their jobs,” Partyka said.
— Isabela Weiss
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Countdown to Trump's visit
2:45 p.m.: We are less than four hours away from President Donald Trump's scheduled visit to Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County, where he is expected to discuss his administration's efforts to address a top concern for voters: affordability.
Traffic is expected to be delayed on many roads around the region leading up to the 6 p.m. speech, including interstates 81, 84 and 380 and on local roads surrounding the casino in Paradise Township.
While supporters are expected to attend the speech, those opposed to the president's message and policies have been speaking out and are expected to hold demonstrations this afternoon.
Follow this story for live updates throughout the day and evening, as well as on WVIA FM.
— Roger DuPuis
