Trump rallies for Montana House candidate as White House promotes economic record

President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in Kalispell on 14 October for Aaron Flint, the Republican facing Democrat Sam Forstag in Montana’s western US House district. Trump urged supporters to vote, saying: “Just get out and vote.” Local news outlets describe the race as close, while Montana Free Press reported that Republicans were seeking a strong turnout in Flathead County, a party stronghold, at the 3 November midterm election. [2] [3]

Ahead of the rally, the White House issued a statement crediting Trump’s tax legislation with safeguarding 20,000 Montana jobs, $4 billion in state economic output and $2 billion in wages. Those are claims about what might otherwise have been lost, not a count of jobs created. The statement does not set out the period or comparison used to calculate them. It also points to an $800 million manufacturing campus planned by Janicki Industries, with more than 1,000 jobs projected within five years; those jobs are not yet a recorded result. [1]

Its tax message needs a distinction. Under the heading “No Tax on Social Security”, the White House says roughly 200,000 older Montanans benefit from a new deduction. The US tax authority says people aged 65 and over may claim an additional deduction of up to $6,000 per person for tax years 2025 to 2028, phased out above certain income levels. Social Security benefits can still be taxable, although the deduction may lower or eliminate an individual’s income-tax bill. The national rules do not establish how many Montanans have benefited. [1] [4] [5]

Other figures in the statement have firmer, but narrower, meanings. The federal health agency CMS awarded Montana $233,509,359 for the first year of its rural health programme, the fourth-highest award among the 50 states. An award does not show how much has been spent or whether access to care has improved. Montana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was a provisional 3.2% in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; that monthly figure does not establish what caused it. [1]