Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Rep. Summer Lee protest President Donald Trump's visit to Carnegie Mellon University

Steve Bohnel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 14, 2025

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Ahead of the artificial intelligence and energy summit at Carnegie Mellon University featuring President Donald Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee railed against Trump's recent policies.

Speaking to roughly 20 people at a rally near the School of Computer Science at CMU on Monday, both Gainey and Lee blasted Trump's actions in cutting university research funding and his and Congress' work on his recent budget and taxation bill, known as the Big, Beautiful Bill.

Driven by McCormick and hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, the summit will bring together leaders in energy, AI, finance, government and more. Gainey and Lee, two of the region's more progressive Democrats, will not be attending the summit.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has said Pennsylvania is at the forefront of the energy and AI industries, plans to attend the summit, although further details of his visit weren't available. Shapiro, widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has said that he is willing to work with Republicans on making the state more business-friendly, whether that is creating more jobs, streamlining permitting, or other policies that attract various industries, including AI.

Driven by Republican Sen. Dave McCormick and hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, the summit will bring together leaders in energy, AI, finance, government and more at a time

Speaking with reporters after the rally Monday, Lee said students are upset with Trump's recent actions, whether it be cuts to university research, rolling back policies aimed at protecting the environment and combatting climate change.

"Between the students, between the people of Western Pennsylvania, I think that there's going to be a resounding resistance to it, whether that resistance is visible here, or whether that resistance is ... every day on social media," Lee said.

Trump's visit to the summit already has sparked pushback. A rally and a protest march have been scheduled for Tuesday at the same time the summit is occurring. Indivisible Pittsburgh — which has been hosting anti-Trump rallies for months and protesting outside McCormick's local office — has organized the protest.

Nearly 1,500 people — some associated with the university and some living nearby — signed a petition urging Carnegie Mellon to reconsider its decision to host.

But days after the petition was delivered to university leadership, CMU President Farnam Jahanian said in a letter that the summit would still happen, citing it as an opportunity that was crucial to university leadership.

"Our university has hosted leaders for discussions that explore issues of significant national and societal importance. Similarly, we have a history of constructively engaging with the federal government and administrations across the political spectrum," the letter said.

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