President Donald Trump plans to tour Denton's Peterbilt Motors plant Thursday to tout his pro-growth economic agenda, which the White House claims has sparked trillions in investment, lowered taxes and brought key manufacturing back to the U.S., according to a statement from the White House.
"The President’s American First trade agenda is driving a manufacturing renaissance that will continue to pay dividends for the great state of Texas and Americans across the country," Olivia Wales, a White House spokesperson, said in the statement.
Trump is expected to address Peterbilt workers during his visit.
Denton Mayor Chris Watts said he plans to attend Thursday's event at the invitation of Peterbilt, the city's largest private employer, and he praised the truck manufacturer's investment in Denton.
"Peterbilt has long been a shining example of what it means to be a strong corporate partner, providing high-quality jobs for our residents while also supporting nonprofit organizations that serve our neighbors who need a helping hand," Watts said in a statement Tuesday, through a spokesperson. "Their continued growth also holds the potential for additional job opportunities that benefit our community.
"With more than half of Denton households struggling each month to make ends meet, the work being done at Peterbilt represents more than employment. It represents opportunity, an opportunity for families to strengthen their financial security and improve their quality of life."
The president’s visit comes as Americans' negative views about the economy have lingered. Gallup last week announced its Economic Confidence Index has stayed steady at -20. "This reflects relatively few Americans rating current economic conditions as excellent or good (28%) while the majority continue to say the economy is getting worse (63%)," Gallup reported.
U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, who represents Denton, praised Trump's economic policy and plans to join him Thursday at the Peterbilt plant. In a Tuesday news release, Jackson said Peterbilt’s parent company PACCAR has added more than 1,000 jobs at its facility in Denton.
“President Trump is delivering on his promise to put American workers and American manufacturing first,” Jackson said in the release. “Right here in Texas, we’re seeing what happens when we cut red tape, unleash American industry, and stand up for our workers." The thousands of jobs created by PACCAR are proof that America is open for business again, and I’m proud to stand with President Trump as we continue bringing jobs, investment, and critical manufacturing back home.”
A White House press official, speaking on background in a Tuesday email, indicated that following the president's Section 232 tariffs — which have been in place for a year now — PACCAR increased truck build rates in the U.S. and added more than 2,000 jobs.
"President Trump’s 232 truck tariffs have created a level playing field for American-made trucks and are creating quality jobs in America," according to the official. "The tariffs are also giving foreign-owned truck manufacturers a reason to reconsider their Mexico-focused production strategies for trucks being sold into the U.S. market."
Prior to Trump, the White House official said, most of the U.S. truck manufacturing industry was following the path of the auto sector and heading offshore to Mexico.
The official also included a link to an Oct. 20, 2025, news release from the United Auto Workers union, praising Trump's 25% tariff on imported heavy trucks after a grassroots lobbying campaign by UAW members and leaders.
"For decades, heavy truck makers have rushed to kill good blue-collar jobs from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Gastonia, North Carolina, in order to pay poverty wages abroad while Wall Street makes a killing," UAW President Shawn Fain said in the news release. “Our members lobbied and mobilized to save these communities, and made their voices heard in Washington, D.C. We have pushed for action like this for decades, and we congratulate President Trump for delivering for heavy truck workers everywhere. Let’s keep going and rewrite our broken trade rules.”
However, Trump's tariffs have also impacted local businesses such as ESAB, one of Denton's top employers.
In January, ESAB announced it was laying off 110 employees and moving machining departments from Denton to Mexico after Trump imposed a 50% tariff on copper derivative products from Mexico to the U.S. An employee told the Record-Chronicle that the staff learned at a meeting that the decision was “related to the tariff expense added to our raw materials.”
Trump is making his stop in Denton on his way to a scheduled midterm campaign rally for Republican Oklahoma gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei on Thursday evening in Durant.
It will be his first official visit to Oklahoma in six years, and the trip has already drawn criticism and concern as Trump’s approval ratings continue to drop across the country due to the Iran war and everyday costs rising.
In the Tuesday email, the White House Press Office included several points about the president's wins for Texans, such as the Working Families Tax Cuts safeguarding 547,00 Texas jobs, $107 billion in state GDP and $51 billion in worker wages.
Most of the points related to corporate investment creating jobs in Texas, from MP Materials' more than $1.25 billion for a rare-earth magnet manufacturing campus in Northlake creating 1,500 manufacturing and engineering jobs to Toyota's $3.6 billion investment at its San Antonio campus, which is expected to create 2,000 jobs.
And while Texans cross the political aisle to oppose data centers, the White House also touted Vantage Data Centers' announcement of a $25 billion data center campus in Shackelford County. It's expected "to employ more than 5,000 people in construction and ongoing operations."
The Secret Service is coordinating with law enforcement and public safety partners for the visit, spokesperson Kristin Lowman from the Dallas Field Office said.
“The safety of our protectees and the public remains our top priority," Lowman said in a statement. "While we strive to minimize impacts, some traffic disruptions and congestion should be anticipated in the Denton area prior to, and through the conclusion of the visit.”
The Denton Record-Chronicle contacted Denton County Judge Andy Eads for comment and will update the story with any response.
