Trump visits West Virginia, where support for him is strong — live updates

President Trump is heading Thursday to West Virginia, the state that voted for him by the largest margin in the 2016 election. 

White House officials tell CBS News’ Jacqueline Alemany that while tax reform is the official reason Mr. Trump is there, he’s also looking to put pressure on Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who voted against the tax bill. Vice President Mike Pence — in words uncharacteristically harsh for the even-tempered vice president — railed against Manchin when he was in the state for a GOP conference earlier this year. 

Mr. Trump’s support in West Virginia was 61 percent in January — higher than any other state, according to Gallup. Manchin, who is considered vulnerable to a Republican challenge in the deep red state, is running for re-election in November. 

On Thursday, Mr. Trump is hosting a roundtable on tax reform in White Sulphur Springs, a wealthy small town in West Virginia near the Virginia border. Mr. Trump and other Republicans are focusing on the benefits of the tax overhaul they pushed through Congress last year, ahead of midterm elections this fall. And the wealthy Koch brothers’ network is spending $20 million promoting the new tax law, after spending $20 million trying to pass it.