Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s social media comments in opposition of the proposed $14.9 billion sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel, reiterating his focus on keeping the 122-year-old company’s jobs in the Keystone State.

“I’m less about social media posts and more about doing the hard work,” Shapiro said during an event in Pittsburgh, “and I’ve been convening the table over the last number of months with all the different participants in this conversation to see what we can do, with my sole focus being on protecting jobs here in western Pennsylvania.”

Trump wrote Monday in a post on Truth Social that he is “totally against” the sale.

“Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST! As President, I will block this deal from happening. Buyer Beware!!!” the post reads. Trump made similar comments about opposing the sale back in January.

Shapiro said Tuesday that “Trump may want to check with some of the local leaders of his own party right here in western Pennsylvania who are out calling for support of the deal every single day.”

“He seems to be on a different page from them, or they seem to be on a different page with him,” Shapiro said,

State Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), whose district abuts the Pittsburgh suburbs where U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works are located, said in a statement Tuesday she is “100% on board to make U.S. Steel great again.”

“Keeping U.S. Steel headquarters and operations in southwestern Pennsylvania is about keeping our jobs and our heritage in place for present and future generations,” Ward said in the statement. “President Trump’s comments to make U.S. Steel great again through his administration’s policies when he assumes the presidency, provide the promise of options and solutions that have been absent from the current administration.”

Ward previously expressed support for the sale to Nippon Steel. Her spokesperson Erica Clayton Wright said Tuesday that Ward’s most recent statement reflects that “she is fighting for the best option for the workers and the industry.”

President Joe Biden has also opposed the sale amid concern from state and federal lawmakers and the United Steelworkers union over likely layoffs and the strategic need to protect U.S. industry. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, who served as mayor of Braddock, where U.S. Steel operates blast furnaces, has been among the most strident opponents, along with outgoing U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District)

The federal Council on Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFUS), which will make a recommendation to Biden on whether to approve the deal, deferred its decision until after the November election. It’s expected to be completed before the end of December, the New York Times reported, then presented to Biden for review.

Shapiro didn’t respond directly to questions about whether he supports the sale or whether he would speak to Biden about his decision.

“He ultimately will make the final decision through the CFIUS process, and that’s not a process that’s governed by state law. It’s governed by federal law, and it’s exclusively within the hands of the President to make that decision,” Shapiro said, also declining to say whether he would facilitate a meeting between the Steelworkers union and Nippon Steel.

Shortly after the sale was first proposed in December 2023, Ward said in a statement that Nippon Steel’s pledge to invest in the Mon Valley Works and to honor U.S. Steel’s contracts with the union were “encouraging,” and that “we will continue to do all we can to maintain its presence where it belongs — Pittsburgh.”

Ward said in an Aug. 30 statement “Nippon Steel’s investments in cutting-edge infrastructure at the Mon Valley Works facility will not only jump-start innovation and secure jobs for our region to grow and compete, but will also generate critical construction jobs for the building trades which will help create certainty for all,”

Ward’s spokesperson, Wright, told the Capital-Star her statement Tuesday does not indicate a change in her position.

“To be clear, Nippon is the only offer. While it is a transformative and competitive offer, it is still the only offer. Trump’s post suggests he has other thoughts, but we still don’t know what they are and likely will not until he officially becomes president. Sen. Ward has been completely transparent in her position from the start and all of that has been shared with you,” Wright said.

Ohio-based steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. made a competing cash and stock offer for U.S. Steel, according to a regulatory filing in January.

U.S. Steel operates four plants in Pennsylvania that comprise the Mon Valley Works, including one in Fairless Hills, Pa., outside of Philadelphia.

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