Beyond beltway, Trump tours Boeing plant in South Carolina
In campaign-style visit, president talks jobs, politics
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.
Conducting his first visit beyond the Beltway since his inauguration four weeks ago, President Trump on Friday stressed his “America First” trade and economic policies during a campaign-like visit to an airplane plant operated by Boeing — a company he has criticized in the past.
“We are going to fight for every last American job,” Trump told employees at Boeing as the company rolled out its latest model, the 787-10 Dreamliner (“Dreamliner ... great name,” he said).
During a speech in which he referenced last year’s presidential election several times, Trump repeated a policy approach that has drawn opposition from congressional Democrats and some Republicans.
While alluding to his dispute with Boeing over the costs of a new Air Force One model, Trump said he and his administration have persuaded global companies to keep or increase jobs in the U.S. In many cases, Trump took credit for corporate plans that were already in the works when he won election in November.
The president echoed pledges to change trade deals and reduce regulations he said have encouraged companies to move jobs to other countries; congressional critics say Trump’s approach would lead to less trade and higher prices for products at home.
On occasion, Trump specifically mentioned politics, citing his big victory in last year’s South Carolina Republican primary (“it was a landslide”). He recycled lines from campaign rallies of the past, telling a supportive crowd at Boeing that “America is going to start winning again.”
The Trump-Boeing event came the same week as an unsuccessful attempt to unionize the plant.
Trump spoke at a giant hangar inside Boeing ’s sprawling campus, well away from where any protesters might gather, though South Carolina is a very Republican state. The president later received a tour of Boeing’s new 787-10 Dreamliner, a long-haul airplane that can accommodate more than 300 passengers.
Trump stopped in South Carolina en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he will spend most of the Presidents’ Day weekend. The exception: a Saturday trip to Orlando-Melbourne International Airport, where Trump will host the first overt political rally of his presidency.
In making the Boeing plant next to the Charleston airport the site of his first presidential event out in the country, Trump picked a company he has clashed with during his still-young presidency.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who introduced the president at Friday’s event, met with Trump in New York during the post-election transition, after Trump slammed the manufacturer in a tweet over a $4 billion price tag for updating Air Force One, the program that provides two 747 aircraft for the president.
Before Trump’s speech at Boeing, organizers pulled back the giant door of the hangar, revealing both Air Force One and the Dreamliner. Referring to the three-decade-old presidential plane, Trump said, “what can look so beautiful at 30 as an airplane?” Trump said he is nearing a new deal with Boeing for the 747 aircraft that serve as Air Force One. “It looks like we’re getting closer and closer,” he said.
Trump has criticized Boeing over trade and China, though Friday’s visit signals increased cooperation. During the campaign, Trump had complained about Boeing creating a finishing center for 737 airliners in China. But Muilenburg made the point that Boeing provides mostly U.S. jobs while selling most of its products abroad. Boeing is the largest U.S. exporter, with 90% of its workforce in the U.S. and 75% of its sales abroad.
President Trump recycled lines from campaign rallies of the past, telling a supportive crowd at Boeing that “America is going to start winning again.”