Trump promises to save American jobs

After week of battering, Prez repeats populist promise

North Charleston, Feb. 8: President Donald Trump tried to put a first month of tumult behind him on Saturday, pitching himself as a champion of US jobs and industry during a visit to Boeing in South Carolina.

A day after a grievance-filled press conference that raised questions about his temperament, Mr Trump got out of Washington, back to basics and back on script.

He visited North Charleston to renew his campaign vow to champion jobs and industry. “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,” Mr Trump said.

“This is our mantra, ‘buy American and hire American’. We want products made in America, made by American hands,” he said, pledging to wean the country off imports.

On the campaign trail, Mr Trump tapped a rich seam of unease among American workers.

Although the unemployment rate is at a low five per cent and wages are rising steadily, a triple whammy of deindustrialisation, globalisation and automation have hit the US heartland hard.

Mr Trump had repeatedly touted his business acumen and promised to transfer boardroom smarts to the Oval Office in order to bring back jobs. But poor management and scandal have plagued his first month in office.

Meanwhile, he stepped up his attack on the media, calling them “enemy of the American people” and asked his supporters to not believe the stories put out by the “fake news” media.

“Don’t believe the main stream (fake news) media. The White House is running VERY WELL,” he tweeted.

“I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it,” he said in another tweet.

Mr Trump has several times this week expressed his frustration over news reports in the US media. — Agencies