Trump talks about the military at summit where McCormick announced $10B in Pa. investments
Pennsylvania will see nearly $10 billion worth of investment strengthening its military industrial base, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick announced Wednesday at the conclusion of a two-day summit on defense innovation.
President Donald Trump joined McCormick as the headline speaker at the event that drew more than 1,300 people to the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, including hundreds of executives from defense contractors large and small.
In the first budget of his second term, Trump presided over a historic $1 trillion appropriation for the Defense Department. In an hour-long speech, Trump touted his intent to seek another record increase in defense spending this year, boosting his proposal for the department to $1.5 trillion.
“We need it. It’s all made in the USA, so it’s … not fully a cost,” Trump said.
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Among more than 30 projects and initiatives McCormick’s office listed are billions of dollars of investment in Philadelphia’s former naval shipyard.
Rhodes Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat made a $2.5 billion deal to support U.S. Navy submarine construction, which will bring 1,350 jobs to the south Philadelphia facility through 2035.
South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Group will receive new national security multi-mission ship orders worth $1.5 billion from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.
And JPMorgan Chase will provide $25 million to strengthen Philadelphia’s shipbuilding and maritime sector, an investment projected to create 450 jobs and support 100 maritime suppliers.
Other big ticket items include $2.3 billion to modernize a Nevada Army depot delivered by Philadelphia-based Day & Zimmerman, a five-year contract for military trucks for Mack Defense in Allentown, a future production opportunity for Carnegie Robotics in Pittsburgh worth up to $400 million and the $300 million acquisition of Pittsburgh-based Astrobotics by Voyager Technologies that comes with a $297 million NASA contract.
Trump’s talk, in his familiar discursive style, also included digs at former President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris. He also falsely claimed a mandate to hire transgender executives under the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act caused its failure.
The $52 billion CHIPS Act, signed by Biden in 2022, has attracted $450 billion of investment in the U.S. semiconductor industry by foreign manufacturers.
Since the start of 2026, Trump has launched military operations in Venezuela to capture and bring the South American nation’s authoritarian leader to trial on drug charges and in Iran, where U.S. and Israeli launched a series of attacks. That conflict continues as Iran has tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, even though Trump has claimed the war was over several times in the last few months.
“I built the military in my first term, and I used it in my second term,” he said, claiming the dawn raid on Caracas had been paid for “50 times over.” The Costs of War Project at Brown University estimated the military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Oceans for Operation Southern Spear and Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela cost at least $4.7 billion.
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As he paid recognition to dignitaries in attendance, Trump called out “amazing” state Treasurer Stacey Garrity, the GOP nominee for Pennsylvania governor, who he snubbed during his last visit to Pennsylvania in June.
Trump also took a swipe at Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is seeking reelection. Shapiro, speaking in a panel discussion with McCormick earlier in the day, was critical of Trump’s foreign policy, saying it threatens to isolate the United States from its long-time allies.
“I get a little bit concerned when our administration pokes their finger in the eye of our allies,” Shapiro said.
Trump called Shapiro “overrated.”
“I watched it the other night during a speech, and he does not have what it takes. Maybe he’ll win, and he’s expected to win,” Trump said. “But I hear things about Stacy, and I’m hearing some poll numbers that are very good.”
Shapiro holds a 13-point lead over Garrity, according to the latest Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday. That’s down from an 18 point advantage in February.
