BLOG: Wagner confident Trump will visit York

On his way back from an eventful week in Cleveland at the GOP Convention, state Sen. Scott Wagner said he's confident Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his family will be coming through York County before the election.

"Pennsylvania is a very important state for him," the Spring Garden Township Republican said.

Wagner didn't personally speak to Trump while in Cleveland, but he was invited to sit in the family's private box during the convention after chatting with Donald Trump Jr., Wagner said.

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Trump Jr. spoke to Pennsylvania delegates Tuesday morning, and Wagner, who spoke to the delegation the next morning, said he offered some advice for the young businessman to pass along to his father.

"I just told him to have his dad talk more about the people he's hired at his companies," Wagner said. "And that we'll do what we can (in Pennsylvania) to help his dad get elected."

Wagner described sitting with Trump's family as "pretty interesting," and he said the convention as a whole was filled with energy and patriotism.

"People there care about this country," he said.

Wagner said he enjoyed all of the speakers, though he added that it was "unfortunate" that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz didn't endorse Trump.

As for Trump's speech, Wagner said it was a little long but well-spoken.

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"Some people saw it as negative," he said. "I saw it as honest. Some people don't know the difference."

Wagner, who recently announced he's considering running for governor in 2018, said he met a lot of well-known politicians while he was in Cleveland, but he was never "starstruck."

"Everybody puts their pants on the same way," he said.

One of those well-known politicians was former senator and 1996 GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole, whom he met before even arriving in Cleveland.

A state GOP representative asked Wagner to fly Dole out to Cleveland, so Wagner said he chartered a jet and left with the 93-year-old from Washington, D.C.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Wagner said, adding that he got to chat with Dole while their flight was delayed.

— Reach David Weissman at dweissman@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @DispatchDavid.