Trump hits road to deliver pep talk
Campaign-style rally leaves Washington turmoil behind
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Hoping to shift attention from his troubled White House, President Donald Trump hit the road Friday to deliver a pep talk to American workers and the rest of the nation, resurrecting the jobs promises that powered his election victory and pledging in a campaign-style rally to “unleash the power of the American spirit.”
But he was only a few hours away from the turmoil he has stirred in Washington when he swerved from that positive message to escalate his complaints about news coverage of his young administration.
“The FAKENEWS media … is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” he exclaimed on Twitter, singling out The New York Times and TV networks. His latest outburst came a day after he forcefully defended his administration in a marathon White House news conference, brushing aside the tumult, infighting among senior staff and setbacks in courts and Congress.
He took a more upbeat tack in South Carolina.
“We love our workers and we are going to protect our workers,” Trump declared at a Boeing plant where the company showed off its new 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. “We are going to fight for jobs. We are going to fight for our families,” he said in a reprise of the “America First” message from his campaign.
Trump is expected to stick to the theme Saturday when he holds a big rally in central Florida, a change of scenery that marks an effort to galvanize a month-old White House that has been hit with crises.
Some 5,000 employees and others inside a hangar greeted him with chants of “USA, USA.”
The president, who owns an airplane but now travels exclusively on government aircraft, praised the Boeing jetliner as “an amazing piece of art.”
“The name says it all. Dreamliner, great name,” Trump said. “Our country is all about making dreams come true.”
“As your president I’m going to do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work,” he said. “This is our mantra: Buy American and hire American.”
Trump then departed South Carolina for his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he plans to spend the holiday weekend. He arrived late Friday afternoon.