At the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, President Donald Trump called out to a prominent columnist, inviting her to join him onstage. The columnist, a respected voice in the media, expressed gratitude for the unexpected recognition.
Trump had name-dropped the columnist, Salena Zito, during his speech, saying "I worked with Salena Zito; I don't know if Salena's here. Is Salena here? Where's Salena?" He went on to praise her, calling her the "queen of the Rust Belt" and joking that the region was now the "Money Belt."
After the president's call-out, Zito joined Trump onstage, taking a long walk down a hundred steps to reach the stage. She described the moment as a surprise, saying that Trump couldn't hear her initial response of "I'm here."
Zito expressed humility about her work, stating that she's "certainly not the best in the business" and acknowledging that she's been around for a while, but only because she's "old." She emphasized that her approach as a reporter is to listen to people's stories and really understand their daily lives, focusing on hardworking individuals in industries like coal mining and steel.
Zito noted that the event brought together investors and defense contractors focused on reindustrializing the industry, with a focus on robotics, technological innovation, and military advancements.
