HUGER, S.C. (AP) 鈥� Vice President visited a steel plant in South Carolina on Thursday as he heralded the launch of an 鈥渋ndustrial renaissance鈥� in the U.S., in part due to President Donald Trump鈥檚 moves to boost domestic industry.
Vance made the trip to Nucor Steel in Huger as part of the administration's events marking Trump's .
鈥淚 hope every single one of you, you guys in front me, feel a sense of pride, because these are the products that actually make America work,鈥� Vance told several hundred guests and Nucor steel workers gathered on a gravel lot outside one of the buildings at the company's sprawling facility. 鈥淭hese are the products that make our citizens' lives better.鈥�
Nucor's corporate leaders have cheered Trump's tariff policies, which have shaken the global economy and with other business leaders. The company's stock rose 6% when the Trump administration announced new tariffs on imported steel, though the price has fluctuated since.
After an earnings call this week, Nucor CEO Leon Topalian said on CNBC that the company's backlog of orders, which its leaders have said is 25% higher than last year at this time, served as a signal of 鈥渋mproving signs coming through the economy.鈥�
It was Vance's first visit to South Carolina, an industry-rich state that also plays a pivotal role in national politics. Trump won the state's first-in-the-South GOP primary in 2016, which helped cement Trump's role as a frontrunner that year, and he's remained popular in the state ever since.
From the stage, Vance shouted out two of the state's elected Republicans in attendance, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette and Rep. Nancy Mace. Both have been supporters of Trump and Vance, and both are expected to vie for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the state next year.
Vance, who was accompanied on the visit and factory tour by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, said for the administration also signaled 鈥渆nergy dominance,鈥� adding that there needed to be 鈥渘o tension鈥� between ramping up domestic manufacturing and safeguarding the environment.
鈥淲e have started drill, baby, drilling,鈥� Vance said. 鈥淚t means cheaper gas, and it means an America that is self-reliant.鈥�
Drilling off South Carolina鈥檚 coast has long been a controversial issue in the state, which has 187 miles (300 kilometers) of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. Trump directing the interior secretary to prohibit drilling in the waters off both Florida coasts, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, until 2032. President Joe Biden in January new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, a last-minute effort to block possible action by the incoming Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.
After taking office, Trump said he had directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to undo on the East and West coasts, saying the last-minute action 鈥渧iciously took out鈥� more than 625 million acres (2.5 million square kilometers) offshore that could contribute to the nation鈥檚 鈥渘et worth.鈥�
Vance's remarks came shortly after news broke that Mike Waltz, the former GOP congressman from Florida, was , weeks after it was revealed that he had added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
Subsequently, Trump posted on social media that he would be tapping Waltz to serve as ambassador to the United Nations and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Waltz's former duties, in addition to serving as the chief U.S. diplomat.
Vance mentioned neither development in his remarks. Zeldin did not know about the U.N. appointment until an Associated Press reporter asked for his reaction to it afterward. He thanked the reporter for being the 鈥渂earer of great news鈥� and said he felt Waltz 鈥渨ould do a tremendous job鈥� in the role.
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Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
