At a White House coal-industry event on April 8, 2025, President Donald Trump said coal miners wanted to keep mining and would be unhappy doing a different kind of work. The phrase “Americans yearn to labor in the coal mines” is a headline paraphrase, not his reported wording—and the remarks do not establish what miners generally prefer.
What did Trump say about coal miners?
In a report published the next day, Gizmodo reporter Matt Novak quoted Trump saying: “They want to mine coal, that’s what they love to do.” Trump also said miners would be unhappy with a different job. The comments came at a White House event where he signed coal-related executive orders. Gizmodo’s April 9, 2025 report is a contemporaneous secondary account; this account does not include an official transcript or recording verified here.
Did Trump say Americans want to work in coal mines?
Not in the quoted wording. The reported remarks concern coal miners, not Americans as a whole. “Americans yearn to labor in the coal mines” is the article headline’s paraphrase; it should not be treated as a direct Trump quotation or as a measured claim about public opinion.
What was the political context?
Trump framed his remarks as a contrast with Hillary Clinton’s past statements about coal workers moving into other kinds of work. According to the same Gizmodo report, he returned to the theme at a National Republican Congressional Committee dinner later on April 8, saying: “They love to dig coal, that’s what they want to do. They don’t want to do gidgets and widgets and wadgets.” These quotations are reported speech, not an independently verified transcript.
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Do the remarks show what miners actually want?
No current survey of miners’ or Americans’ job preferences is established by the available evidence. Trump’s comments express his view; they are not evidence that miners as a group prefer mining, or that they do not. The remarks also provide no current information about coal employment, mine counts, wages, working conditions, or the share of electricity generated by coal.
Why a 1923 labor report is not a guide to today
The U.S. Department of Labor’s annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923 described coal workers’ average earnings as low and their working conditions as adverse, and discussed industry disruptions and lost workdays. Those observations document a historical period, not present-day pay, conditions, workforce, or worker preferences. The Department of Labor’s 1923 annual report cannot substantiate a claim about what miners want now.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- DIECAST CONSTRUCTION TOY SET: The construction truck set includes semi truck, excavator toy and bulldozer toy. Accurately detailed cab interior, features opening doors, trailer landing gear, movable tailgate, tractor and the trailer can be detached.
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- For use with your N Scale layout.
- Woodland Scenics - Lumpy's Coal Company - AutoScenes� - N - AS5345
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