Trump promises $100M for Kentucky if GOP wins midterms

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY: President Donald Trump on Saturday, October 17, promised a $100 million investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing in Kentucky, saying the funding would depend on Republicans winning the November 3 midterm elections. 

Speaking at a rally in Highland Heights, Trump said that the Department of War would invest in California-based pharmaceutical company Antheia to revitalize a manufacturing facility in Winchester. However the president did not disclose details about the proposed project, its timeline and the facility’s planned operations. 

Trump ties $100 million Kentucky investment to Republican midterm victory

Trump during the rally at Truist Arena on the Northern Kentucky University campus, announced that “if the Republicans win, the Department of War will be investing $100 million in the pharmaceutical company Antheia to revitalize (a) gigantic pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Winchester, Kentucky,” Trump added, “That's a big one.”

Trump described the proposed investment as a major revitalization project while making manufacturing and the economy central themes of his speech. The president also predicted that new manufacturing facilities would contribute to future economic growth. “Those plants are going to be opening in a year, and when they open you're going to see numbers that nobody's ever seen before,” Trump said.

The announcement appeared to make the proposed investment conditional on a Republican victory in the midterms. However, details about how the funding would be structured, when it would be disbursed and what activities would take place at the Winchester facility were not immediately available.

Trump’s Kentucky appearance was part of a broader campaign push aimed at mobilizing Republican voters before the midterm elections. The president has made similar conditional promises to supporters during recent appearances, including a proposal to provide $5,000 to every adult American if Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress.

Antheia has received federal support to expand domestic medicine ingredient production

Antheia develops pharmaceutical ingredients, including key starting materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients used in medicines. The California-based company says its biosynthesis technology can offer an alternative to supply chains that rely on agricultural production and may be affected by disruptions.

In March, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response announced a $9 million award to Antheia to expand domestic thebaine production. The agency said the ingredient is used in medicines for pain management, alcohol use disorder and opioid overdose reversal, citing dependence on foreign supply chains as a potential vulnerability.

Antheia had also previously received a government-backed project agreement valued at up to $12 million through a program funded by the HHS Defense Production Act Title III program.

The $100 million figure announced by Trump would be substantially larger than those previously disclosed federal commitments. However, Trump’s announcement did not establish how the proposed investment would relate to the earlier awards or what pharmaceutical products would be manufactured at the Winchester facility.

The rally also featured Republican Senate candidate Andy Barr, who is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Mitch McConnell, and Ed Gallrein, who defeated incumbent Republican Representative Thomas Massie in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.