Trump touted accomplishments, bashed Massie at event near Cincinnati airport

He said more items are being made in the country than ever.

The president also lauded what he said were the rebuilding of the U.S. military in his first term, praised the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” for delivering no tax on overtime wages and said Democrats want to raise taxes higher than ever before if they win in November’s mid-term elections.

Trump bashed former President Joe Biden, saying that “we were a dead country” during his presidency, but that the economy, including the stock market, is flourishing under a second Trump presidency,

“Here in the heartland of America, you’re already seeing the result of what we’ve done,” he said. “I just came from Thermo Fisher Scientific in Reading, Ohio, the grand American company that’s investing $2 million in domestic manufacturing, all because of what we’ve done with the tariffs and with the deductions and all of the other things that we’ve done.”

At one point Trump paused his speech while a woman in the crowd behind him received medical attention from first responders, as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Trump went on to list what he said were various accomplishments in Kentucky, including Ford Motor Company’s $2 billion assembly plant in Louisville.

“They just announced two weeks ago that they’re going to run seven days a week,” Trump said. “That’s a big difference.”

The president also lauded Apple, which he called a “great company,” for investing $2.5 billion “to manufacture 100% of the glass for iPhones and Apple Watches right here in Kentucky.”

Trump also claimed that the United States is building more factories than at any time in the country’s history and that more Americans are working than at any time in its history.

He repeated his assertion that 2020 was “a rigged election” and extolled the virtues of “clean, beautiful, Kentucky coal.”

He also lambasted Republican Rep. Thomas Massie for voting against various Trump initiatives and praised challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy Seal, as a “hero.”

Gallrein is set to face off against Massie this May in the Republican primary.

“Massie is a disaster for our party,” Trump said.

The president’s speech concluded just before 6 p.m.

A crowd of about a thousand people started filing into the event around 2 p.m., garbed in Trump T-shirts and “Make America Great Again” baseball caps. The event’s pre-program launched around 3 p.m. with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, set against a “Lower Prices. Bigger Paychecks” backdrop.

Before the event, Trump visited Thermo Fisher Scientific and promoted his push to bring down prescription drug prices. The company has multiple locations in the Tri-State and is headquartered in Massachusetts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

‘He’s the greatest’: Some arrive days before area Trump visit for front-row seats

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President Donald Trump addresses a crowd at a rally Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Wet weather didn’t dampen the spirits of hard-core supporters of President Trump who came from states away to see him at an event in Hebron, Ky. today.

“I’ve been wanting to go to a Trump rally for a long time, so I’m so excited,” said Tonya Murphy of Owensboro, Ky.. She arrived at 6:30 a.m. for the event scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today.

“We’re excited to see President Trump today. He’s the greatest,” Murphy said.

Among those in line were some of the “Front Row Joes,” a group of die-hard Trump fans who come from far and wide to get front-row seats to Trump rallies.

“We want to show our support because this man has given up everything for this country,” said Sharon Anderson, who came from east Tennessee Monday night and slept in her car for two days before today’s event.

Anderson and others said they expect Trump to talk about the Iran war, the economy, cost of living, and his accomplishments.

“I believe he’s turned the country around in such a fast pace,” said Brady Collier, who came from Indiana to see the president.

Nat Turner, director of communications for the Kentucky Democratic Party, wrote in a statement that Trump, “can’t sell his failing economy to Kentuckians struggling to buy groceries and gas.”

“From challenges in the bourbon industry to closing rural health care facilities, all of Kentucky’s toughest economic struggles of the past year are directly connected to his policies, including his trade wars and hospital-closing federal budget,” Turner said. “The only prescription for lowering costs for the American people is to hold Trump accountable by electing more Democrats.”

WCPO 9 News contributed to this report.

MORE COVERAGE

Cox First Media, which includes the Journal-News, Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-Sun, has journalists on scene and will provide coverage of Trump’s visit.