Trump Texas Tour: Tariffs Fuel 1,000 New Peterbilt Jobs
President Donald Trump rolled into Denton, Texas on Thursday with a simple message: American factories are roaring back. Speaking inside a Peterbilt Motors plant that just added 1,000 jobs, Trump credited his tariff policies for the manufacturing revival — and one employee’s story stole the show.
A Family’s Testimony to Tariffs
Peterbilt events manager Sarah Renshaw introduced herself to the crowd as part of a three-generation Peterbilt family. Her parents worked at the company, her husband works there, and now her son does too — a hire she says happened because of Trump’s tariffs.
Renshaw told the crowd the tariffs gave the company the confidence to expand, allowing Peterbilt to hire 1,000 new employees at the Denton facility alone. Trump called the trucks “beautiful” and joked that he would buy one and drive it himself if the Secret Service would allow it.
Record Numbers on the Assembly Line
Trump pointed to hard numbers to back up the celebration. Manufacturing wages are up nearly $4,000 since he took office, he said. This year, the United States has added 60,000 new manufacturing jobs, heavy truck manufacturing is up roughly 31 percent, and heavy truck shipments have hit an all-time high — the highest in the history of the country, according to the president.
“American trucking is back,” Trump declared to cheers from the plant workers.
Rolling Back Regulations
The president also highlighted his administration’s rollback of Biden-era emission standards and its loosening of nitrous oxide regulations for the trucking industry — changes he framed as removing roadblocks that were strangling American manufacturers.
For workers on the floor, the pitch was emotional as much as economic. Trump said workers and companies like Peterbilt had been “heartlessly betrayed” by politicians who let foreign trade cheaters close up American jobs — and that his administration had reversed that betrayal.
Shoring Up the Senate
The Denton stop doubled as campaign muscle for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, whom Trump backed over the incumbent in the primary. Trump called Paxton “one of the most loyal people” and urged the crowd to vote for him in the November midterms.
Trump closed the Texas visit by acknowledging his biggest challenge: “The only thing we’re doing badly at is public relations.” With factories hiring and shipments at records, he argued the economy is far stronger than voters realize — and he plans to spend the final sprint before November making sure they do.
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