Good afternoon. Welcome to Cleveland-Cliffs' Press Conference taking place at Half Moon Industrial Complex in Weirton, West Virginia . Earlier today, Cleveland-Cliffs announced that it will establish a new state-of-the-art distribution transformer production plant in Weirton, West Virginia, investing $150 million and creating 600 jobs for skilled steelworkers of USW Local 2911. Cleveland-Cliffs welcomes.
Cleveland-Cliffs welcomes West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. Thank you, Governor. Delegate Pat McGeehan. State Treasurer Riley Moore. Numerous other elected officials and community leaders that are here with us today. Our invited speakers will talk about this exciting announcement and the positive impact the plant will have on Weirton community and the surrounding region. I am pleased to introduce our first speaker, Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. Lourenco will share with you his vision for this new plant and the significance of Cleveland-Cliffs stepping up to address the acute shortage of distribution transformers that is hampering economic growth in the United States. I will now turn it over to Lourenco. Lourenco.
Good afternoon, everyone. It's a great pleasure to be here with all of you, with Governor Justice, all elected officials that have been working so hard to get our great Weirton plant going again, and that's what we're doing today. We're not going to produce tinplate here anymore. The tinplate users, they preferred to go with the imported tinplate, believing that they are making a very smart choice. Now, they also are counting that we would continue to subsidize them and make them print money out of the back of the workers here in Weirton. Now, not under my watch. So we shut down the plant, but we did not abandon the workforce.
And then, because of the workforce, we started thinking, how can we intelligently put that workforce back to work to do something that's not only meaningful for Weirton and for the great state of West Virginia, but also for the United States of America? Well, we had an opportunity right in front of our very eyes. And I had this idea when I was with Jamie and Aaron. Jamie Sychak is the president of the union, the UAW, at our plant in Butler, Pennsylvania. Jamie. And Aaron's our general manager of Butler, Pennsylvania, the guy that runs the show over there on behalf of Cleveland-Cliffs. And he also does the same in Zanesville, Ohio, with Eric, who's the president of the union over there.
So we had the idea when we were there in an event with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and the USW, the UAW, and the IAM, not one union, but three unions over there celebrating that we had saved that plant. We changed the standards back to the real standards for transformers. Then we would have a runway to produce transformers in the United States. But it would take more plants to produce more transformers. We're short on transformers in this country right now. Look at Texas. One single storm and people are out of electricity. Now, give a short fast forward when AI, artificial intelligence, starts to take off. It is in the very early stages, but it's coming, and it's coming soon. So when AI takes off, AI is not just a marvelous thing, but it's not just that.
AI will increase the consumption of electricity in this country and worldwide, everywhere in the world, exponentially. So if you're short transformers now, we're going to be short transformers for a long, long, long time, just because of AI. So this plant will be a good-sized plant. We're going to employ 600 workers, 600 USW-represented workers right here from Weirton, West Virginia. This plant would not be possible without my partnership with the USW here in West Virginia, particularly with one man, a man that I have a lot of respect, a lot of friendship. I consider him part of my family. This guy's Mark Glyptis. Unfortunately, Mark is battling a few things health-wise. But like I told Mark yesterday, get yourself fixed fast because we need you right there at Weirton with the guys, the boys and girls, the brothers and sisters, the USW-represented workforce.
This will be our first plant, not our last one. So be prepared for more. With that, I will pass the microphone to my dear friend, Governor Jim Justice of the great state of West Virginia.
You got a handheld?
You got it. You got it.
Okay. Now I want you to really listen, okay? First of all, I've known this gentleman a long time, you know, and he is the real deal. Not only is he your President and CEO, but he absolutely has one thing that you just can't go out and get anywhere. He's got passion, he's got love, and he's got caring for his employees. Now, we can say what we want, but really and truly, this tariff situation, it absolutely just slammed the door, slammed the door on this incredible plant and 900 workers. You know, at the end of the day, you hate to say it, but too many American companies today just move on. That's all there is to it. I can tell you the conversations that we've had together, and it was really, genuinely, really bothering this man. And bothering this man because he cares and he loves.
That's all there is to it. Lourenco is a good man, and it's a good company. Now, let's just think for a second. We celebrate today. You should be so enthusiastic. It's unbelievable. That's all there is to it. We've all worked together, and absolutely, we've pulled the rope together. We've done exactly what we should do. And with unbelievable pride, the state of West Virginia is participating to the tune. We just got it approved, just got it through our EDA folks, just got it done. Just, and really and truly, I apologize for being late, but let me tell you what we did. We left the EDA meeting to go to the airport to fly to Wheeling and to be here, and we had plenty of time. And then they told us that the plane had some fuse or something like that, and the plane couldn't fly.
We jumped in the car and started driving this way, thinking, "Well, we'll have the plane fly and pick us up somewhere along the way." And we drove 30 miles up I-77 or I-79 heading towards Clarksburg, and then they called and said, "We got the plane fixed." We turned around and went back to the plane and got on the plane and got here. So I am telling you, I am telling you that for one reason, and that's just this. That's what Lourenco would have done. Absolutely. All the conversations that we've had together, all the knowledge that I have of Cleveland-Cliffs, all the good stuff, the good stuff that we're talking about right here is why we're here. Now, with all that being said, let me just add one more thing. And that's just this.
Not only are we going to celebrate having 600 workers here when we were absolutely devastated beyond belief, and not only are we going to celebrate the quality of their jobs, the manufacturing jobs, and who knows where this will lead us, that it could lead even to something bigger and better and on and on and on. And not only is all that happening in the Northern Panhandle in Weirton, you know, a town that, and I've told this story a bunch of times, you know. But I can remember in 1962, you know, watching the state tournament between Beckley and Weirton, and Fritz Williams was playing at Weirton as a sophomore. And someway, somehow, Beckley came back from a 15-point deficit with six minutes and change to go in the game and won the game.
Then I can remember back in the semifinals, Weirton in 1964 playing Beckley again because I was living in Beckley. I grew up in Beckley, you know, just a little kid that loved basketball and loved our high school. With all that being said, in 1964, I'm at the basketball tournament, and Beckley's playing Weirton, and Weirton is now Fritz Williams is a senior, and it's 1964, and I can hear, just like it was yesterday, the crowd chanting, "We remember 1962. You'll remember 1964." And believe me, B, they put it on Beckley. Don't you think they didn't? You know. But I tell you this, you have an incredible community. Today is an incredible day, but I want to end with just one last thing. I said this at the EDA this morning.
Forever, forever, I don't understand why in the nation we don't have a national energy strategy, an energy program. We don't have anything. We just absolutely stumble all over ourselves, and it's the very reason that I decided to run for the Senate. But all that aside, when President Trump was in office, I was right in his office, and I was telling him just this. You're going to build transformers here that is going to help our electric grid beyond belief. You can't get transformers today. You know, in all honesty, the backlog is years, you know, and we're all dependent upon the Chinese and whomever it may be. It's crazy. It's crazy in America.
But really and truly, your buildout and what you're going to do is not only great for Weirton and not only great for 600 people and all that business, but it's unbelievable for this nation. Think about this just one second, and then I'll let you go. And that is just this. Today , as electricity expands and expands and expands and our need does, first and foremost, in my world, I think wholeheartedly that we can't do without coal and we can't do without natural gas. And for those people that believe we can, they're crazy. They're completely crazy in my book. But with that being said, now just think about this a second. What if there were multiple natural gas pipelines that were crossing at a junction point somewhere?
God forbid, there's a bridge coming from the Midwest and everything is transporting coal from the Midwest or from the West to the East Coast. We absolutely, and what I was talking to President Trump about seven years ago, you know, it was all about saving the eastern coalfields. Because just think about this if we were to awaken to this, you know, we mine seams that are this high. In Wyoming, they're mining 80 ft seams with a drag line. And in Illinois, they're mining 20 ft seams, and we're trying to compete. They couldn't find a way to move that coal from the West to us, but now they can do it. But just think that junction point I'm talking about. What if a bomb were placed on that junction point and it was in the dead middle of the winter?
What if the same day there was a bomb placed on that bridge coming from the Midwest? What's going to happen if we have lost the eastern coalfields? What's going to happen? And it parallels this through and through. You can't put coal in a truck in Wyoming and deliver it to Florida Power & Light. You can't do that. But you can put coal in the truck in eastern coalfields in Kentucky and Virginia and West Virginia and take it to Duke Power and keep us going. Now, with all that said, really, the bottom line to what I'm saying is just this. If Lourenco, the great people at Cliffs, their great unions, all the people that, if we don't step up and step up right now, what happens? What happens to us in electricity issues, whether they be AI or whatever it may be?
It's the same thing almost. You're depending on China. You're depending on people that could be mortal enemies to us. Absolutely. I commend you in every way, Lourenco, and all of you. So at the end of the day, really celebrate today. Today, you're putting a stake in the sand for Weirton and these 600 folks and our unions and all the different things that you're doing. Yay, yay. But today, you're putting a stake in the sand for America. God bless each and every one of you. Thank you for having me. And before I leave, before I leave, if you want to come up and say hi to Babydog , I'll sit right here, and she'll say hi.
Thank you, Governor. Thank you. All right. So we do have Mike Vitello on behalf of the USW Local 2911. He's going to say a few words. Come on up, Mike.
Good afternoon. I'm Mike Vitello here on behalf of President Local 2911, President Mark Glyptis , who, with regrets, is unable to attend today. I'm here to read Mark's formal remarks. Before I do that, I bring greetings and well wishes from our international union president, Dave McCall, who could not be with us due to prior commitments. I am extremely thankful to my friend and partner, Lourenco Goncalves, for his opportunity to bring back workers to produce transformers here in Weirton. To Governor Justice, we are very appreciative not only of your support, but the support of the state of West Virginia to help us make announcements possible today. To my friend, State Treasurer Riley Moore, I am very thankful for your support. To Delegate Pat McGeehan, a very special thanks for many years of friendship and support. Without your efforts, we would not be here today.
The failure of our government to protect our ability to continue to produce tin in Weirton resulted in the idling of Weirton Plant and the losses close to 1,000 good-paying jobs with benefits. Cleveland-Cliffs and Lourenco never gave up on the workers, their family, or the Weirton community. On behalf of myself, our workers, and many retirees, I am very proud and thankful for our relationship with the United Steelworkers of America, Cleveland-Cliffs, especially Lourenco, the State of West Virginia. Our relationship helps this event possible today. I am excited for this new opportunity to produce much-needed transformers, which are vital to our national economy and energy efficiency to our country. It is gratified that we are producing transformers made by America, or made in America, American workers, and in this very building here today. I am looking forward to the challenge to make this new venture successful.
Our local union officers, along with Lourenco and Cleveland-Cliffs management, are strongly committed to cooperate in making this facility the most productive and efficient operation possible. United Steelworkers Local 2911 is thrilled to be a part of this announcement and welcome this plant to Weirton, where the steelworkers are the best in the business. We are thankful to all those who stood up for us during this time, including the senators who could not be here today, Senator Manchin, Senator Capito, Senator Brown from Ohio. And as a result of their assistance, good-paying steelworker jobs will be back where they belong in the Ohio Valley. In closing, in my 50+ years of service, which includes over 30 years as local president, I have never encountered a more honorable, truthful, and passionate partner than Lourenco Goncalves.
I wish I could be here today to express my gratitude to him and all he has done. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Shelley Capito of West Virginia and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio were not able to attend today. However, each of the senators have provided statements of their support for today's announcement. Our next three speakers are from each of the senators' staff, and they will be sharing statements on behalf of Manchin, Capito, and Brown. I would like to invite to the podium Andrew Robinson from U.S. Senator Joe Manchin's staff.
Good afternoon, and thank you for allowing me to be here with you today. Senator Manchin regrets he couldn't be here with us to celebrate this monumental announcement. But with the senator's regrets, I get the benefit and the honor to be here to speak to you on behalf of our United States Senator Joe Manchin. First, I'd like to express thank yous to all those involved on behalf of Senator Manchin. Of course, Mike, a great introduction there, and we hate that Mark Glyptis couldn't be here with us today to celebrate, but I know he's here with us and he's watching online. I'm sure he's cheering us all on from recuperating and getting back to work. First off, Lourenco, we can't thank you enough for your dedicated and constant fight to keep good-paying jobs right here in Weirton, West Virginia.
You know, we have West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore. Thank you for your steadfast commitment and your work to put these jobs back here in Weirton. The United Steelworkers, of course, thank every single one of you here with us today. And then the State of West Virginia and Delegate Pat McGeehan, this is one of those good examples of when all of government works together with our partners in labor, our partners in the corporate side. It all comes together, as we have done here today. You know, Senator Manchin will never stop fighting to make a fair workplace and marketplace for West Virginians because he knows when West Virginians are given a fair opportunity, they will always win because they're the hardest-working people in the country. Now, as we work through the tin mill issues and those kinds of things, the senator will constantly keep fighting.
But we're here today for this monumental announcement that we get to be here because we, Senator Brown, Senator Manchin, were here and made a fighting effort to make sure that this type of transformer was not stopped from being in the marketplace and making sure opportunities for these transformers are available for years to come. And looking forward, Senator Manchin, we'll be here to see you all flourish, see this company flourish, see this plant flourish, and as Mike said, one of the most efficient, clean, and fast-operating plants in the world. So with that, I thank you on behalf of Senator Manchin. Thank all of you for your hard work today. And with that, I'll introduce my colleague, Jessica Cross, from Senator Capito's office.
Hi, good afternoon. Thank you so much for having us. Unfortunately, the senator couldn't be here to join you today, but I have a short greeting on her behalf. Greetings from United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito. After some challenging times, today is a very encouraging day in Weirton. I am thrilled that progress is being made to preserve and expand the most talented workforce in the nation. This repurposing will help the families in region impacted by the recent closure and help us transform. The potential for hundreds of jobs over time is certainly worth celebrating. I applaud the leadership of Governor Justice and state and municipal officials, along with Cleveland-Cliffs, who I have stood with on behalf of the workers and families of Weirton. It is an honor to serve all of you in the United States Senate. Sincerely, Shelley Moore Capito, United States Senator.
I'd now like to welcome Kaleb Knowlton, sorry, from Senator Brown's office.
Hi everyone. My name is Kaleb Knowlton. I'm the Appalachian Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. It's great to be here with you all today. Unfortunately, the senator isn't able to be here, but I do have a letter to share with you all on his behalf. Dear friends, congratulations as you celebrate the announcement of a new electrical transformer manufacturing facility in Weirton, West Virginia. This is a great day for the Ohio Valley. When I toured the Weirton tin mill back in September of last year with Senator Manchin, I saw firsthand just how talented and dedicated these workers are. They could compete with anyone if given a fair shot. We repeatedly made clear to the International Trade Commission that they needed to enforce our trade laws and give the steelworkers here a fair shake. Unfortunately, they did not.
Steel production stopped, and 900 hard-working men and women of the United Steelworkers lost their jobs. The plant should never have been idled. The International Trade Commission and its weak trade enforcement failed the workers here and the community on both sides of the river. Thankfully, the story doesn't end there. All year, we've worked with Cliffs leadership, the USW, and with this community to imagine a new future for this facility. The United States Department of Energy was at the same time trying to enact a misguided electrical transformer rule that threatened steelworker jobs and could have idled two other Cliffs facilities, one in Zanesville, Ohio, and one in Butler, Pennsylvania, where they produce electrical steel. I took on the Biden administration to fix that flawed electrical transformer regulation that would have devastated U.S. electrical steel manufacturers. We won.
And because we won, we're able to stand here today alongside the United Steelworkers and Cleveland-Cliffs to announce that 600 union steelworker jobs are coming back to the Ohio Valley to build electrical transformers out of union-made steel. Thank you to Cleveland-Cliffs for your investments in this project and for your commitment to these workers and the community. And thank you to the members of the United Steelworkers for your grit, your resilience, and your solidarity fighting to keep the rich history of steelmaking woven into the fabric of the Ohio Valley in the present and for the future. I'll never stop fighting for all of you for the dignity of work and against bad trade and energy policies that sell out our workers. Congratulations again. I can't wait to see this facility in action and workers back on the job. Sincerely, Sherrod Brown, United States Senator. Thank you.
I would now like to introduce Riley Moore, the State Treasurer of West Virginia.
Good afternoon, everybody. It's wonderful to be with you here today. This is incredible. It truly is. At 11:00 A.M. this morning, I cast my vote during the board meeting of the State Economic Development Authority, chaired by our visionary Governor here, Jim Justice, to approve $50 million to bring steel manufacturing back to this wonderful Weirton community. I will tell you, that was one of the most emotional votes I have taken on that board. My family is from the Northern Panhandle, and I've spent my whole life coming here. What an amazing day this truly is. I'd like to quote from Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3, and 4, where it says, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.
A time to tear down, a time to build, a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance." My friends, I can unquestionably say it is a time to build, a time to laugh, and a time to dance here in Weirton. Now, I believe there's a man for every moment. The question is whether he will rise to the occasion to which he is called. Today, we have two men, one of them unfortunately missing, but they've both answered that call. It's Lourenco Goncalves and Mark Glyptis . This summer, I flew to Cleveland, and I met with Lourenco to discuss this project. I can say unequivocally that this is one of the most patriotic, dynamic, and intelligent CEOs in the United States.
He is a real American success story that I hope somebody writes a book about at some point. He was born in Brazil and, in my view, is a real American hero of the heavy industry sector in this country. Also in that meeting was Mark Glyptis , another true American patriot, president of the Local 2911 United Steelworkers, a fixture in this great community, and a tireless, decades-long advocate for the steelworkers here in Weirton. During that meeting, they both made clear to the rest of us around that table the trust they have in each other. In fact, they stated they trust each other with their own lives during that meeting.
I truly believe the relationship between Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers here is a model for labor business relations in this country, working towards a common goal together, a match made in heaven, or in this case, almost heaven, West Virginia. Thanks to that partnership and steely resolve of Lourenco, good-paying union jobs are coming back to Weirton, West Virginia. Earlier this year, we all felt it was a time to tear down, a time to weep, and a time to mourn. Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers stood shoulder to shoulder to seek tariff relief when countries like China were dumping cheap tinplate steel into the marketplace to crush U.S. manufacturing. Unfortunately, the globalist corporate elites in this country were all too eager to assist China in this treacherous endeavor. They leveraged their influence on the International Trade Commission, and the imposition of tariffs was struck down.
They called it a win for the American consumer, but I call it a loss for the American worker and a short-term win for the shareholder in that corporations. That was a dark time for Weirton. And then a man for that moment, rather than being cowed by the globalist cabal, rose to save this town and these critical jobs. Lourenco, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Lourenco immediately got to work with Mark Glyptis , and instead of retreat, they forged ahead to return and rebuild, return this city to greatness that wants to find it and will again as a major steel manufacturer. These will be products made in America by Americans. My friends, I believe there is a manufacturing renaissance on the horizon for this country.
And what better time than now and what better place than here in Weirton, West Virginia, to start that renaissance? We're the state that mined the coal, that forged the steel, that built this great country. The tanks, the warships, the buildings in New York, all the major cities were built with the blood, sweat, and tears of hard-working West Virginians at places like Weirton Steel. This is not just a bygone era, never to be seen again. No. Because there are men that remember. This entire community remembers, and the entire state of West Virginia remembers. And starting today, we will turn those memories into our moment where a man from Brazil and Weirton rose to the occasion to which they were called.
We will forge those memories to create a new, tempered future of opportunity and growth here in Weirton and build a West Virginia that is worthy of our dreams and our children's future. God bless you all, and God bless the great state of West Virginia. Thank you very much. I'll now call up my friend, Delegate Pat McGeehan.
A little bit taller here. I'm trying to get situated. Well, it's not sweat. I got drenched under some sort of porch walking in. It's just draining water all over me. But I want to tell you one thing right now. When I first met Mark Liptis, when I foolishly, sometimes looking back, entered into the political arena, I realized straightforward, right from the get-go, this was an honest man. And I was a registered Republican my whole life. My father was an Air Force bomber pilot. But we all came from an Irish Catholic family. And one time, I asked my father, "Hey, why did you switch from Democrat to Republican?" And he said, "Hey, when I graduated from the Air Force Academy as a second lieutenant, I was making about $700 a month.
And then Ronald Reagan was elected, and I was making about $2,200 a month." So it made sense to me. But when I met Lourenco for the first time, and it was in a personal meeting in Cleveland that Riley just mentioned, I could tell he shared the same sort of archetype that my father did and that, in some ways, Mark Glyptis does. That's a fighting warrior-type archetype. Entailed within that archetype is a deeper sense, rightly ordered, that cares about the men under your charge. They don't treat those men and women like cogs in a machine as a means to an end. It's not all reduced to material bottom line. That's what I saw. There's very few of those men, unfortunately, in leadership positions today. So I really pray for Mark.
He's going through some tough times, but he's a strong man. But I wanted to say a few prepared remarks, and it just won't be too long here. I just wanted to welcome, obviously, Cleveland-Cliffs because without Lourenco and Mark Glyptis , this never would have happened. But it's a new future for West Virginia, really. And I want to appreciate this future. And in order to do that, we got to recall our past. We have a long tradition of hard work and craftsmanship that was essential for the industry and prosperity of our whole nation, really. And we maintain that work ethic here in our state and in the Northern Panhandle by love of God, family, country. And these were the pillars of our great state.
In living memory, however, that tradition has been drastically interrupted by national politicians who, in the near past, had sold off our future with trade deals that earned them wealth and prestige while leaving our families and friends, in many cases, jobless. Without work, many of them sunk into despair. Families were broken. Health was destroyed. Drugs and alcohol soothed the pain until they no longer did. Thousands have died without help. This has been an epidemic of despair. It's into this vacuum that different forms of companies from out of state promise us delivery with jobs, but only with strings attached. There's a distinction between Cleveland-Cliffs and the companies I'm talking about. We were so desperate along the way for these opportunities that we overlooked the cost because it's not all about materialism. It's not all about the bottom line.
But we were desperate, and we overlooked that. In doing so, a company, for instance, that employs, say, hundreds, can be a Trojan horse if they fly rainbow flags and insist upon so-called diversity quotas where entire sections of their employees must conform to some sort of version, the latest DEI or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In gaining employment through those desperate times, it starts to undermine our faith in the values that made us great to begin with: God, family, and country. And it was a devil's bargain by some of our elite leaders. If you doubt that, okay, you go ask the parents whose children are now so confused by this topsy-turvy culture that they don't know whether they are a boy or a girl. A confusion of a child about something so fundamental. And you can make him believe anything, anything at all.
You can make him believe that right now, this is the best economy in the world, in history. That a president, for instance, who can't even finish his sentence, is really in charge, and somehow we must spend billions defending foreign borders while opening our own. Cleveland-Cliffs, they're not so delusional. They're different. They've kept that tradition of craftsmanship and a mastery of a trade, and they bring us 600 jobs back. And that commitment, it demonstrates that. That firm commitment to care of the men and women underneath your charge. These are jobs that are tangible and fulfilling. And the only strings they attach are these: that we do good, hard work. West Virginians, we like that kind of deal. We made it because we know this company will help us reconnect with our own traditional values.
Now, men and women can grow up here in our home with a hope for a rewarding job that also pays enough to raise a family. Patriotic employers will treat our people with dignity, not like cogs in a machine, so that they can be proud of their work as well as their children and their community. We made this deal because Cleveland-Cliffs is such an employer, one that can help us realize that West Virginia was always great, and it will still be far greater come the future. But this isn't only about West Virginia. These themes I'm talking about, it's not only about our state. This is about our country. Every generation has a defining struggle.
Our fathers and grandfathers, my own grandfathers, my grandfather fought in Europe on my dad's side, stormed Omaha Beach, my grandfather on my mother's side, witnessed the surrender of the Japanese in Tokyo Harbor. Many of you out there have similar stories. You know where you come from. They fought enemies across the globe, and they won. They won with those values, convictions, and something real, something real and concrete, the same thing that Cleveland-Cliffs is going to be doing here: real, tangible products that you can get your hands on. But when our grandparents and our parents, they won. They left us a peaceful and prosperous nation. But at the very summit of their victories, when the evil empire of the Soviet Union collapsed, politicians in Washington began to shift the battleground, quote-unquote.
Over the last few decades, it's become clear that our fight now is not some sort of external fight. That's not against foreign enemies. It's an internal battle right here at home. I'm not speaking of a physical fight. No, this battle was internal. In a way, it's very spiritual. It's one about human nature and citizenship. It's one for the true, for the good, and for the beautiful. Our opponents in this so-called battle, which is really a spreading ideology, they self-styled themselves as experts who tell us that everything about men and women is nothing but some sort of social construction and that anyone can become an American simply by crossing a border and that a man can somehow become a woman and that a woman can somehow become a man. These are some of the flashpoints of this great battle, but there are many others.
Even though there are no beaches to storm, do not forget that this is a battle just as important as the battles won by our ancestors. It actually might, in some sense, be even more important because this is a battle for the very constitution of our state and for the very character and integrity of our own souls, what constitutes our character. Remember the greatest satanic trick to convince you that evil doesn't even exist at all. I believe the almighty never gives us a battle we can't win, and this is ours. But victory in this battle starts right here at home with courageous men and virtuous women and with patriotic Americans in our state who raise their children to love God, cherish the wisdom of their elders, and honor our ancestors and the sacrifices they made for us.
All of this can still be saved by honoring their timeless values, by honoring the true, the good, and the beautiful. G.K. Chesterton is one of my favorite thinkers from history. He once said, "Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because men had loved her." And this can now be said for our own state and for our own country. America is only great when men love her.
The nihilism pushed by our opponents called this love of country nothing but oppression. But we few, we happy few, we've always called this patriotism. Just look behind us. And West Virginia has a crucial role. I want to finish this real quick.
I'm sorry. We're off schedule right now. So would you mind?
That's fine. Yeah.
Thank you.
All right.
Appreciate that.
Well, thank you again, Lorenco, and I really appreciate it. God bless you.
Okay. Well, thank you, everybody, for attending today's press conference. We appreciate your attendance. That concludes our press conference. Thank you.