Ivanka Trump near Portersville: U.S. 'much more capable of combating this virus as we wait for the vaccine' - TribLIVE

The United States and its public health leaders are “much more capable” of confronting the next waves of coronavirus cases than they were when covid-19 first struck last spring, Ivanka Trump said while stumping for her father, President Donald Trump, Wednesday on a Lawrence County farm.

Ivanka Trump, 38, whose husband, Jared Kushner, has helped to oversee the White House’s coronavirus response along with Vice President Mike Pence, expressed her confidence in the nation’s ability to contain and control covid-19, the coronavirus disease, which has infected more than 8.9 million Americans and killed nearly 230,000 since March, federal data show.

Shortly before she took the stage outside Betsy’s Barn, an event venue overlooking farmland and fall foliage, the crowd of about 250 invited guests cheered to learn that the campaign event would be moderated by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019.

Regarding the covid crisis, Sanders asked Trump, seated beside her on a small platform flanked by tractors and wagons filled with hay, “I know your husband, Jared, has been deeply involved in getting us through, on both sides of saving lives and saving livelihoods. Will you talk to us a little about that effort, and what you see happening as we come out of the pandemic?”

“Well, it was and is a Herculean effort on so many different fronts — first and foremost, trying to understand what this thing was,” Trump replied. “… Many (state governors) were not adequately prepared. … Ventilators were scarce, and they’re not easy pieces of machinery to make.”

The campaign event began hours after public health officials announced that Pennsylvania surpassed more than 200,000 positive cases of covid-19 and more than 8,700 deaths, with the daily increase rate now comparable to the region’s infection rate levels in April, state data show.

The president’s daughter said she recalled being present for grim briefings months ago when as many as 2 million Americans could die of covid-19 without preventive actions and corralling more resources and funding. She credited success in curbing further spread of the disease to “America’s medical genius” and the Trump administration “clearing all the roadblocks” to accelerate the development of therapies and a vaccine safe for mass distribution. She suggested a vaccine still could be completed by the end of the year — a projection the likes of UPMC doctors and other experts have deemed highly unlikely.

“Today, we know much more and are much more capable of combating this virus as we wait for the vaccine,” she told the crowd at Cheeseman’s Farm, located just outside of Portersville, Butler County near Interstate 79, about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

.@IvankaTrump on the #COVID19 #pandemic at farm ~40 miles north of #Pittsburgh:

“It was and it is a Herculean effort on so many different fronts. ..

“Today, we know much more & are much more capable of combating this virus as we wait for the vaccine.”@TribLIVE | #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/dwoKo30dIQ

— Natasha Lindstrom (@NewsNatasha) October 28, 2020

During an appearance that lasted about 40 minutes, Ivanka Trump spoke to an audience of mostly white women, many with young children, about a wide range of topics — including the need to revive the economy while touting pre-pandemic jobless rates; the challenges of homeschooling young children; efforts to combat human trafficking; and a commitment to “restoring law and order. She described a “false narrative that’s been brewing in this country that you have to choose between supporting law enforcement … and empowering black communities.”

Prior to the arrival of Ivanka Trump’s motorcade, the crowd was repeatedly told over a microphone to remain seated and to keep their masks on during the full duration of the event. Most did so.

“I love all of Trump’s kids, along with Trump,” said attendee Shelly Wain of Jefferson Hills, who wore a homemade mask because she was asked to but said she usually prefers to go without wearing one. “She (Ivanka) said our president loves America, he loves us, and he’s not a politician. I hated politics until Trump came along. You know what he’s thinking. He’s not a typical lying politician. He puts it on the line … And I’m very much like him, too. You either like me or you hate me — and I don’t care.”

Ivanka Trump quickly shifted the covid-19 discussion “from lives” to “also livelihoods,” or the importance of reopening the economy even as the pandemic persists. She cited federal coronavirus relief legislation that funded, among others, the Payment Protection Program, helping to keep small businesses afloat during the crisis.

She criticized some governors for being overly onerous with lockdowns spurred by the pandemic, and said she was disappointed in Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s stance regarding the expansion of charter schools, or “school choice,” while emphasizing how having to homeschool her children during the pandemic has increased the high respect she already held for teachers “who make it look so easy.

“I know myself and probably many parents that are out here right now have a newfound appreciation for what they do every day,” she told the audience, many of whom brought their children to the event. “I mean, I always held teachers up on a pedestal, but now it’s like different level.”

Ivanka Trump’s campaigns top marks another in a long line of similar Trump surrogate events held in the region and around the state as Election Day nears.

Ivanka, in particular, has proven to be among the Trump campaign’s best fundraisers. Her in-person and virtual events in recent months have helped bring in tens of millions of dollars — including as much as $35 million between August and the election on Tuesday, according to Politico. She’s visited 10 battleground states and others in recent weeks and months, including Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona. She started her day Wednesday in Charlotte., N.C.

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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