WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit West Virginia on Thursday for an expected roundtable event in Greenbrier County.
The visit will mark Trump’s fourth visit to West Virginia since taking office in January 2017; he spoke at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree in July, held a campaign-style rally in Huntington in August and spoke at the congressional Republican retreat in February.
U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., said in a press release Monday evening he was invited to join the president. The 3rd Congressional District, which Jenkins represents, includes Greenbrier County.
“It’s an honor to be able to welcome President Trump back to West Virginia and the Third Congressional District. President Trump’s visit will highlight his work to create jobs and opportunities for West Virginians and all Americans, and I’m proud to work to advance his policies in Congress. President Trump is always welcome in West Virginia,” he said in a press release.
Jenkins said in a Facebook post Trump’s visit will highlight how his policies are “creating jobs and opportunities for West Virginians and all Americans.”
Trump’s past visits have caught attention outside of the Mountain State. Trump’s use of political rhetoric while speaking to attendees of Boy Scouts of America Jamboree — in which he talked about repealing and replacing former President Barack Obama’s health care law and went after Obama and 2016 presidential campaign opponent Hillary Clinton — resulted in Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh issuing an apology.
“The invitation for the sitting U.S. President to visit the National Jamboree is a long-standing tradition that has been extended to the leader of our nation that has had a Jamboree during his term since 1937. It is in no way an endorsement of any person, party or policies,” he said in a letter.
Trump’s Huntington stop was highlighted by news of Gov. Jim Justice’s switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
The president spoke earlier this year to Republican lawmakers, where he touched on immigration and infrastructure, as well as touted the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This visit was overshadowed by comments made by Vice President Mike Pence the day prior, in which Pence went after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., for voting against last year’s tax law.
Jenkins is running in the GOP Senate primary election in hopes of being the Republican to face Manchin in November.
According to a Jenkins spokesperson, more details about the event will be released.