First posted on Instagram
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — President Donald Trump used a midterm rally at the Shoemaker Center at Ohio University Chillicothe on Wednesday evening, October 28, 2026, six days before the November 3 midterm elections, to point to major new and expanded auto-manufacturing investments across the United States as evidence his economic agenda is bringing production and jobs back to American communities. He was campaigning for Republican Senator Jon Husted, who faces former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, who faces Democrat Amy Acton.
Husted told the crowd Trump intervened when the Kenworth truck plant in Chillicothe was at risk, saying the president and his team took action, saved the plant, and added 1,000 jobs in Chillicothe, adding that 10,000 manufacturing jobs had been added in Ohio in the last 20 months and telling Trump: "Mr. President, you have not let Ohio down."
Trump said tariffs had led to more factories and plants being built than ever before, that the Kenworth Truck Plant added 1,000 jobs this year alone, and that General Motors, Honda and Stellantis are spending $1 billion to expand auto manufacturing in Ohio.
The Kenworth plant in Chillicothe, opened in 1974, is Kenworth's largest factory; the company said in March 2024 it employed about 2,500 people and had built more than 782,000 trucks since opening, and had invested $300 million in the plant since 2018. The 1,000-jobs figure is the figure given at the rally; Kenworth has not published a newer official payroll total.
On the wider auto investments: the White House lists a $400 million Stellantis investment in its Toledo Assembly Complex, creating over 900 jobs, and a Honda investment of up to $2.5 billion to build a new hybrid vehicle production plant in Ohio. The Honda plant was reported by the Nikkei business daily and Reuters, with production possibly beginning in 2030, but Honda has not confirmed a final investment decision. Nationally, Stellantis has announced a $13 billion plan to expand its U.S. footprint, and General Motors has announced billions in U.S. manufacturing spending, including moving Blazer and Equinox production from Mexico to plants in Tennessee and Kansas. The White House has put total announced automaker investments at more than $50 billion; the Associated Press has noted that not all of that total is for all-new vehicle assembly plants.
Supporters of Trump's tariff and industrial policies argue higher costs on imported goods encourage companies to invest in domestic production and strengthen American supply chains. Critics have warned tariffs can also raise costs for manufacturers and consumers and create uncertainty for businesses that rely on imported parts and materials.
The rally was Trump's third Ohio campaign stop this month. At least two protesters were removed shortly after he began speaking, and the Shoemaker Center holds roughly 2,400 people.