PITTSBURGH _ "You are going to like Donald Trump," presidential candidate Donald Trump promised hundreds of natural-gas executives at the Insight Shale conference in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
That proved true enough inside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where the audience cheered his promise to "lift the restrictions on American energy, and allow this wealth to pour into communities including right here in the state of Pennsylvania."
On the streets outside, however, fondness for Trump was less evident.
Trump opened his 30-minute speech, characteristically, by referring to favorable poll results, and he seemed unbowed by his lagging numbers in Pennsylvania.
"They tell me a Republican can't carry the state of Pennsylvania," he said. "Wait until you see what happens here. We're going to bring back our steel jobs, and we're going to rebuild this nation."
He then addressed the violence in Charlotte, N.C., where protests have erupted after police shot and killed an African-American man Tuesday. The country was "very wounded," Trump said, and needed "the spirit of togetherness."
Minutes later he praised former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose tough-on-crime policies have alienated many black residents.
"Our country looks bad to the world," Trump said. "How can we lead when we can't even control our own cities?"
Turning to energy, Trump called increasing production "a central part of my plan to make America wealthy again."
His prescription followed a familiar script: abolishing regulations on gas drilling and pipeline construction, while opening up offshore areas and federal lands to drilling.
"I believe in conserving our wonderful natural resources," Trump said, but he added that his environmental policy would be guided by "experts" rather than "those with radical environmental agendas."
"Compare that to my opponent," he added, who would support "massive new regulations _ and some of your industries, sitting right here in this room, are out of business."
As secretary of state, Democrat Hillary Clinton espoused natural gas. But as a candidate, she has advocated tighter regulation of gas. While she has praised it as a cleaner fuel source than coal, she ultimately favors a transition to renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
The gas industry is struggling with a glut in production _ a problem not likely resolved by making it easier to drill. But industry executives are concerned about the "leave it in the ground" movement backed by environmentalists, who fear burning fossil fuels will have an irrevocable impact on global climate change.
"Objections to the coal industry, as an energy source, are slowly but surely being directed toward our industry," warned West Virginia Commerce Department Secretary Keith Burdette during a panel discussion prior to Trump's speech.
"If the target was coal, once you kill it, what's next?" agreed Eric Madia, a sales manager for a West Virginia service company. He said that while there were no surprises in Trump's speech, the criticism of federal regulations resonated.
Drilling is regulated by states, but getting oil and gas to markets requires pipelines and export terminals, which often require federal authorization, Madia said.
Outside the convention center, protests of Trump's appearance continued throughout the morning, with demonstrators eventually convening outside the Duquesne Club, where Trump attended a fundraiser.
Attendees paid at least $2,700 to attend a reception and $50,000 to attend a private luncheon and be photographed with Trump. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters thronged Sixth Avenue, which was blocked to traffic. The demonstration was staged by state Democrats, unions and like-minded groups: Protesters voiced grievances ranging from gas drilling to Trump's refusal to release his tax returns.
Protester Ellen Gerhart came from Huntingdon County, where she said she was locked in a legal battle over a pipeline slated to carry shale gas across her property.
Much of the fuel, she said, would be exported overseas. "There's no benefit to us at all," she said. "It's all about profit."
Several protesters tried to enter the club itself, but were turned away. One demonstrator, Michael Bagdes-Canning, who is running on the Green Party ticket for a state House seat in Butler and Venango counties, did enter but was taken into police custody. Police said he will face charges including defiant trespass.
Horse-mounted police officers pushed other protesters off the sidewalk, and more than 40 officers in riot gear secured the building's entrance while protesters chanted, "Let us in!"
The protest broke up after Trump left. Other than the one arrest, the city's Public Safety Bureau said there were no incidents or injuries.
