00:00So let me also bring up real fast a few guys that I met backstage that I was very impressed
00:05with. Jack, Jason, Scott, Donald, and Kurt. Come on up here, fellas. Get up here. Come
00:11on up here. These guys are great. Come on. They're happy people.
00:18Thank you, Mr. President. I'm not prepared, but I can tell you I would rather be nowhere
00:37than where I am today with all of my U.S. Steel family, friends, and everybody that I love.
00:43Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Berg. Thank you, Mr. Maury. And most of all, thank
00:48you, Donald J. Trump.
01:01We did it. I want to thank everyone for coming. Today is a great day. For those of you who don't
01:11know me, my name is Jason Zugai. I'm the former president and current vice president of Local
01:152227, and I have worked at this great plant for 28 years. I'm a third-generation steel
01:22worker working for U.S. Steel. And by the way, I'm damn proud of that.
01:34So when we decided to stand up for the men and women of the Mon Valley, we knew it wasn't
01:38going to be easy. Almost every day there were obstacles in our way. At any point, we could
01:44have chosen to give up, but we are steel workers, and giving up just isn't something we do.
01:50These investments will ensure steel will be made right here in Pittsburgh for years to
01:54come. And I want to take this time to thank a lot of people that were crucial to getting
01:59this partnership to the finish line. First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving
02:04me the strength, courage, and wisdom to fight day after day. I want to thank my family for
02:15their support. They were always patient with me when I'd be constantly on the phone, night
02:24after night, discussing this partnership, talking to politicians, or easing the mind of a union
02:30worker. I want to thank Jack Maskell. We've been together from the beginning through this.
02:44From the many meetings together, D.C. trips that were nothing but business, to just brainstorming
02:49daily. Thank you, my brother. There's no one I'd rather have gone to this fight with.
02:55We did it. And I told you how bad I hate to lose. And we won, brother. We won.
03:07To the guys from Clareton and ET that fought side-by-side with us from the beginning, it
03:12was an honor, and I'll never forget our journey. I want to thank the local mayors who have stood
03:19toe-to-toe with us from the beginning. We greatly appreciate it.
03:29Mayor Kelly, thank you. And thank you for your friendship, sir. I want to thank my union brothers
03:37and sisters for believing in us and trusting us to get this done. My campaign slogan when
03:42I ran for office was, I will fight for you. I hope that I have proven that to you. It
03:50was my honor.
03:58Selena Zito, thank you. From the wonderful articles you wrote and the social media posts and everything
04:05you have done behind the scenes, you are a rock star. Thank you. Senator Kim Ward, thank
04:16you for fighting for us as hard as you did. You were one feisty lady, and I say that with
04:21the utmost respect, and we appreciate it. The state of Pennsylvania and your constituents
04:31are so proud to have you represent us. Thank you. Chris Hall, just a small-town guy from
04:38Shelfont that made it out and wanted to give back to his community. Thank you for your words
04:43of wisdom and unwavering support for your community. You did a good thing.
04:53Congressman Dan Muser, you took our meeting in D.C. personally and never wavered after that
04:59meeting. You fought for us in public, and that means the world to us. We will never forget
05:03your support, and you can count on ours as well. Thank you.
05:13Mr. Mori, I love this guy. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our concerns and always
05:19making yourself available to answer all of our questions. This man has been disrespected
05:24and didn't deserve that, and I feel horrible that that happened to you. We will do everything
05:29in our power to see that never happens again. You have my word. These investments are life-changing
05:35for all the men and women here today, and for our communities. I personally look forward
05:39to working with you for years to come. Thank you.
05:49I want to thank the men from New York and D.C. that call me every day. Every day. They
05:55gave me breaking news, advice, and guidance through this process. You might have been behind
05:59the scenes, but you definitely had a hint in getting this partnership to the finish line.
06:03Paul, Curtis, Chris, thank you.
06:12U.S. Senator Dave McCormick. I met the senator at a Trump rally in Latrobe before we were both
06:17getting ready to speak. He introduced himself to me and asked about the Nippon merger and what
06:22I thought about it. Well, as you know, I'm pretty passionate about it and let him know that. He told me,
06:28after I win, you will be my first meeting. I was his first meeting. He kept his promise.
06:39He asked all the tough questions during the meeting and he gathered the facts. We met again last week
06:46to touch base and he took it from there. Without his help, this partnership doesn't get done. Thank
06:51you, Senator, from the bottom of my heart. And last but not least, President Trump. What can I say?
07:01I never doubted you'd be there for us when we needed you. When our international endorsed Harris,
07:06we decided to take a stand for what we believed that was right. That was to come out publicly and boldly
07:12in support of you. Although we aren't public speakers, we tucked our fears aside and did what
07:17any proud American would do. We thank you every day for risking your life and laying it all on the
07:22line for this country. I knew you wouldn't let us down. And for that, I will be forever grateful.
07:38From every steel worker that supports you and every family you saved,
07:41I want to say thank you, Mr. President, for making U.S. Steel great again.
07:51God bless America. God bless U.S. Steel. Thank you.
07:54So my name is Don German. I am the plant manager for this Urban Works here. I had 35 years with U.S.
08:09Steel. I'm a first generation U.S. Steel worker. It is an honor to host you, Mr. President, today.
08:17And let me tell you, it was a lot of work, but it was well worth it.
08:20But I will always tell people that, you know, it is for the workers that are out on this floor.
08:26It is for our families that are out here who support us. It is for the community members
08:31in our community and our state and our country. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
08:37Good afternoon. As you know me, I'm Kurt Barshik. I like to tell Mr. President,
08:53the day I started at U.S. Steel, my supervisor at the blast furnace told me,
09:00kid, what are you doing here? Do you think this mill will be here? Look at Homestead. Look at Duquesne.
09:09They're not here. You're wasting your time. And I can stand here years later and think about
09:16our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren. They're going to have family-sustaining,
09:24good-paying jobs, all because of President Trump. Thank you, President Trump. Thank you.
09:46Thank you very much.
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