WASHINGTON — A frank conversation with President Donald Trump at a wrestling competition in Pennsylvania helped reverse the fate of U.S. Steel, a lynchpin of America’s return to manufacturing strength, Sen. Dave McCormick said Wednesday at an event in the nation’s capital.

The proposed sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel was on the rocks, and Trump was as opposed as former President Joe Biden, who blocked the deal in January. Mr. McCormick, a freshman senator, said he took it upon himself to change Trump’s mind. He had heard from steelworkers who felt the deal provided job security, and had overcome his own reservations about foreign ownership.

“This is for the working families that elected you,” Mr. McCormick said he told the president as they sat next to each other during the NCAA Wrestling C

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