President to visit Derco Aerospace

Tour part of Trump’s whirlwind trip to Milwaukee on Friday

President Donald Trump will tour Derco Aerospace Inc. Friday during his whirlwind visit to Milwaukee.

According to a White House official, Trump will tour the facility and give remarks as he pushes for the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and touts economic successes of his administration.

Trump will also attend a fundraiser hosted by top Republican National Committee officials.

Derco Aerospace is a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin and provides parts, logistics and repair services to fixed-wing aircraft.

Derco, 8000 W. Tower Ave., employs about 250 people in Milwaukee. At its plant, the company maintains an FAA repair facility and an inventory of more than 75,000 different aircraft parts.

Among aircraft Derco supports from its Milwaukee operations are the C-130 Hercules transport plane, the F-16 Fighting Falcon combat jet and the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. About 20% of Derco’s employees are veterans.

Derco dates to 1979, when it was founded by Eric Dermond as Aerospace Industries Inc. It became a subsidiary of Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in 2002, and part of Lockheed Martin in 2015 when Lockheed acquired Sikorsky.

Derco remains involved in a 2014 lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice, which alleges that Derco, Sikorsky and another Sikorsky subsidiary defrauded the government by illegally overbilling on a Navy contract. The companies deny the accusations. The case is pending in federal court in Milwaukee before U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman.

The president will visit Milwaukee a day after four Democratic presidential candidates will appear in a town hall hosted by the Latino organization LULAC at its annual convention.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former housing secretary Julian Castro and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke will each speak separately at the event. Warren also will hold her own town hall Thursday evening at Milwaukee’s South Division High School.

This will be Trump’s sixth visit to the state during his administration. During his last visit, April 27, he held a rally in Ashwaubenon.

Wisconsin was one of three Midwestern states that were part of a so-called blue wall for Democrats that in 2016 voted instead for Trump