Trump, Ryan Duel on Twitter

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – President Donald Trump jabbed at U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan the day after the congressman announced that he was dropping his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. 

Ryan, D-13 Ohio, had announced Thursday that he was ending his bid for his party’s nomination, citing fundraising challenges. 

That prompted Trump to respond on Twitter: 

“So Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio has finally dropped out of the race for President, registering ZERO in the polls & unable to even qualify for the debate stage. See Tim, it’s not so easy out there if you don’t know what you’re doing. He wasn’t effective for USA workers, just talk!” 

That prompted Ryan to respond with a tweet that recalled Trump’s comments at a July 2017 rally in Youngstown urging people not to sell their houses because he would bring jobs back to the Mahoning Valley. 

“This is the view from where I live Mr. President,” Ryan tweeted, with an image of the idled General Motors Lordstown plant. 

“Empty parking lot. Used to be thousands of jobs. All on your watch,” the tweet continued. “You said not to sell our houses. Same with FoxComm [sic], Carrier. You don’t care about us. Put your phone down & start doing some work for someone other than yourself.” 

Though a statement emailed by a campaign spokesman, Ryan also said that Dave Green, president of Local 1112 of the United Auto Workers, which represented workers at the plant, twice reached out to the president to request help keeping the GM Lordstown plant open. 

“President Trump never responded with any ideas to help. He never weighed in on the negotiations with GM to help the people in the Mahoning Valley and the UAW get a product at Lordstown. The president has been missing in action on all important issues,” Ryan said. 

Earlier this year, Trump blamed union leaders for the plant’s closing. 

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