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President says factory would contribute to growth in the nation

Trump praises Foxconn, says he thinks it will build plant in state,

President Donald Trump this week praised the flat screen plant being planned by Foxconn Technology Group for Racine County, saying it would be “one of the biggest in the country.”

In remarks Tuesday on relief to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump said the Taiwanese electronics giant would likely be contributing to growth in Wisconsin and the country as a whole.

“They’re going to build a fantastic plant. I think it’s going to be in the state of Wisconsin. And, hopefully, it’s going to be there,” Trump told reporters, without further elaboration.

Wisconsin’s top jobs agency met privately Tuesday on a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn but took no action on it.

Afterward, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Chief Executive Officer Mark Hogan said he didn’t expect the agency board to approve a final contract with Foxconn until Nov. 8 because WEDC is taking its time vetting the contract.

Spokesman Tom Evenson said Thursday Gov. Scott Walker is “confident we will reach a deal.”

Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee), who is also a member of the WEDC board and is an opponent of the multibillion-dollar agreement, said the vote delay was caused by an unspecified issue “very, very major to the contract.”

“They didn’t do their due diligence,” he said of WEDC.