Despite lingering inflation and economic uncertainty brought on by the Iran war, supporters of President Donald Trump who showed up for his appearance at Mack Trucks’ Lower Macungie Township production facility Tuesday said they feel he is putting the country on the right track.

Edward Xavier Young from Brick Township, New Jersey, travelled to Macungie early Tuesday morning to attend the 115th Trump event of his lifetime, which had more of the feel of a campaign rally .

Young believes that Trump’s second term has been “even better” than his first, crediting the president for appointing a cabinet that is more loyal to his agenda than their predecessors from Trump’s first term.

He called himself a die-hard advocate for every aspect of the “Make America Great Again” movement, and said he supports Trump’s actions in Iran, even though they have caused prices to spike.

“The economy might be rough right now, but when you’re in a war, it generally is, but things are going to turn out. I have faith that things are going to turn around pretty soon,” Young said.

Kevin Cope from Bethlehem Township told The Morning Call he is glad to hear about Trump’s effort to return manufacturing jobs to the United States after seeing those jobs moving overseas for years.

“My life has been in manufacturing and I’ve seen my job being exported over, at that time, to Japan, and that’s when the electronics and the computers were starting to be built overseas,” Cope said. “This is music to my ears.”

However, he criticized the Trump administration’s move to accept additional beef imports from, a move that drew criticism from some ranchers and fellow Republicans, according to The Hill.

Anita Solysiak of Hellertown told The Morning Call that, although she is a registered Democrat, she is a staunch Trump supporter and believes that the Democratic party is “turning socialist,” which she called “frightening.”

She said she is eager to cast a ballot to re-elect U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who faces a tough re-election battle against Democrat Bob Brooks in November in the Lehigh Valley-based 7th Congressional District. She credited Mackenzie for his work as a member of the Congressional Veterans Affairs Committee.

“I really think he is trying to help,” Solysiak said.

Democratic groups wasted no time criticizing the Trump visit, highlighting the still-high costs of diesel and the Trump administration’s cut to social safety measures like Medicaid and SNAP food benefits.

According to a social media post, Lehigh County Democrats held a public protest against Trump’s visit at 1 p.m. near the Mack facility.

In a news release, Brooks’ campaign criticized Mackenzie and Trump in tandem, saying the two “unleash a cost of living crisis, rip away access to health care, support a reckless war in Iran that has cost billions of dollars and raised gas prices.”

Brooks’ release also included critical comments from United Auto Workers Local 677 President Michael Shupp, who represents unionized Mack Trucks workers.

“For more than a decade, Ryan Mackenzie has consistently voted against the interests of working people – in both Harrisburg and Washington,” said UAW Local 677 President Michael Shupp.

Mackenzie served six terms as a state representative in Lehigh County prior to his election to Congress.

The UAW endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, though union leaders have voiced support for Trump’s auto tariffs.

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