Vice Presidential Pool Reports of July 28, 2025

VP print pool report: Canton trip #1

Greetings from the Akron-Canton Airport in Green, Ohio (situated halfway between the airport’s namesake cities).

Air Force Two landed here shortly before 10 am ET. Vice President Vance, dressed more business casual today with a jacket but no tie, disembarked at 10:01 am and promptly jumped into his waiting vehicle.

Pool is now in the motorcade en route to a steel plant in Canton, where we are expecting a tour and remarks from Vance.

More to come throughout the morning.

VP print pool report: Canton trip, Part 2

The vice president’s motorcade arrived at Metallus Inc’s Canton steel plant at 10:21 am local time, after a foggy but otherwise uneventful drive that took us past the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

We are expecting the VP to tour the plant and deliver remarks.

Some local color: Until year was known as TimkenSteel, a company with a rich history in Ohio and a deep connection to Republican politics. Jane Timken, whose husband once led the company, is a local state senator and former chair of the Ohio Republican Party. (She also was a primary opponent of Vance’s in the state’s 2018 U.S. Senate race.)

VP print pool report 3: Canton trip

Metallus CEO Michael Williams introduced Vice President Vance to the stage at 10:35 am local time.

The event is staged on a warehouse floor, with "America is BACK" signs and an American flag behind the lectern.

Your pooler eyeballed more than 100 in the audience, not counting press. Attendees are wearing PPE — protective helmets and goggles, and in some cases protective jackets.

Event was live-streamed and remarks amounted to the expected OBBB Act promotional pitch., though the vice president's remarks were at times tough to hear over the hum of machinery. At one point, the vice president leveled criticism at the local congresswoman, Rep. Emilia Sykes, whose district Republicans are targeting in next year's midterms.

Vance took several questions from reporters after his remarks on:

If OBBA would cause Medicaid-related budget troubles for states like Ohio and others.

How concerned the administration is about starvation and malnutrition issues in Gaza.

Local violence in Cincinnati, his hometown.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, another vulnerable Democratic congresswoman from Ohio.

On the Jeffrey Epstein files and questions that the administration is shielding records.

Vance left the stage at 11:05 am. We are anticipating a tour next.

VP print pool report 4: Canton

After shaking hands, posing for photos with attendees and autographing some hard hats, Vice President Vance began a brief tour of Metallus.

The VP, wearing a dark blue protective jacket, as well as safety goggles and an orange hard hat, walked a factory floor with more than a half dozen workers. Print pool was kept too far away to hear conversation.

He stopped for casual small talk with the pool.

"Haley, you miss me?" he asked Haley BeMiller, a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch.

VP exited the factory at 11:23 pm, after a roughly 10 minute tour.

A lid has been called for the pool; we are headed back to the airport sans motorcade.

Been a pleasure pooling for you this morning in Beautiful Ohio.