Remarks by President Trump on Supporting the Passage of the U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement | Milwaukee, WI | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

Derco Aerospace  •  Milwaukee, Wisconsin  •  July 12  •  2:38 P.M. CDT
    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. We've had an exciting time. It's been incredible. And, as you know, we just hit the highest we've ever hit on the Dow. The stock market is the best it's ever been. Jobs are the best they've ever been. A couple of other little factors, not so bad. We're doing great and we have a great military, and I thank you for that.

    And I want to thank Marillyn. She's been a friend of mine for a long time, and she's done an incredible job. And she just did me a beautiful favor, keeping it - a beautiful Sikorsky plant - open in the great state of Pennsylvania. Some people would say "Commonwealth." I'll call it both. But all I know is they're really happy in Pennsylvania right now. And we love Pennsylvania, and they've - I really appreciate what Marillyn did.

    I'm thrilled to be back in your great state - a state that I won. And we won it not so late in the evening - a little bit early in the evening, actually, which is even better. (Applause.)

    And we had a lot of support from your company. Derco has been incredible. We have a lot of support here. And one of the reasons I'm here is Marillyn, and one of the reasons I'm here are you. Because we really have had tremendous - there's a great spirit, a great spirit in this company.

    We're here today to celebrate the triumphant return of American manufacturing. You know what they said: It was going to be gone. But it's not gone; it's really thriving and it's starting to build up at a level that nobody thought was possible. Everything we're doing to keep the assembly lines rolling full speed ahead - that's being done and we're doing it right.

    We're proudly defending our most important national resource: the American worker. That's what it is. It's pretty amazing how the American worker has just really - there's nobody like our American worker.

    We're glad to be joined today by Secretary Wilbur Ross. Where is Wilbur? Wilbur. Wilbur? How are you? (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, Wilbur. Great job.

    A friend of mine and somebody who is very, very tough and very, very smart - Senator Ron Johnson. Ron, thank you. (Applause.)

    And two real fighters. They fight for us and they fight for you and they fight like nobody: Representatives Glenn Grothman and Sean Duffy. Sean. Thank you, Sean. Thank you, fellas. (Applause.) Thank you.


    I especially want to thank your General Manager here at Derco, Peter Winkler. Peter? Peter? (Applause.) Good job. They were showing me some of the work they do. It's beautiful, it's complex, and it is real stuff. That's the real deal. Right, Peter?

    For 40 years, the patriots of Derco Aerospace have built and repaired parts for airplanes, jets, and helicopters - and you have done it with unmatched precision and unmatched skill - really an incredible company. Recently, our entire nation was inspired by the mastery of your craftsmanship during our wonderful Independence Day celebration on the National Mall. (Applause.) It's called a sa- - (applause) - right? - Salute to America. That was something.

    They weren't sure - the fake news - they weren't sure if people were going to show up. (Laughter.) Did they ever show up, right? Did they ever show up. We had a tremendous - it was packed. And it was raining. It - a few people said, did I have a tent, because I looked very dry. I said, "I wasn't dry and I had no tent." It was a rainy day, but, in a way, it was a beautiful day. And when those planes and helicopters flew overhead, it was something like we haven't really seen too much lately. There's tremendous spirit and love in our country.

    That day, the United States Marines soared overhead in a magnificent aircraft like the ones you support from here in Milwaukee: the MV-22 Osprey. Our country also witnessed the awesome might of the U.S. Navy, flying another plane that you will soon support: the unstoppable stealth F-35 Lightning II. (Applause.)

    I get to meet a lot of pilots. I once said to one of the pilots - he looked like central casting. He looked like Tom Cruise, but maybe better. (Laughter.) A little taller and a little stronger. (Laughter.) And I said, "So, tell me. How good is the F-35 compared to other planes - enemy craft?" He said, "Well, they have a problem: They can't see it." I said, "That sounds good to me," not knowing too much about it. "That sounds good." But he said, "There's nothing like it." And I remember it. That was a long time ago now, toward the beginning.

    In addition, workers at this facility help maintain our massive C-130 Hercules transport planes, and our fearsome UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and our F-16 Fighting Falcons. Great. (Applause.) You're pretty busy. What do you do in your spare time, by the way? That's a lot of work.

    With the help of 280 proud Americans at Derco Aerospace - and you know what I mean - the USA truly has the best aircraft flown, the best pilots. And we have the greatest pilots in the world. They fly the - the - they are pilots like no other. Made the - made and maintained the best workers in - best workers anywhere in the world.

    And I'm excited to hear that, thanks to your new responsibilities for the F-35, your company will be expanding its workforce by 15 percent. Is that right, Marillyn? Wow. (Applause.) That's good. (Inaudible.) That's great.


    Since the election, we have created more than 6 million new jobs. Nobody would have believed that during the campaign. If I would have said "6 million jobs," they would have said, "Oh, that's - no, he's exaggerating." I did say like 4 million, but we got 6 million. (Laughter.) So I was under-exaggerating.

    Including more than half a million manufacturing jobs. We added 224,000 jobs last month alone, which is a tremendous number - far greater than projection.

    Last year, U.S. manufacturers reported the highest optimism ever recorded. So folks like Marillyn would say we're the most optimistic we've ever been. Would you say that's true? You better say yes, Marillyn. (Laughter.) She knows. I know Marillyn very well, and I know she feels that way.

    We're now the economic envy of the entire world. When I meet prime ministers and presidents and kings and queens, they all start off by congratulating me on the great economy.

    Wages are rising fast, and rising fastest for our blue-collar workers. That's exciting. You hear so much about the upper end. Well, they don't realize that blue-collar - proportionately, blue-collar workers, the manufacturing companies - these are the companies that are doing so well.

    Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over half a century, and we expect to soon be beating that. (Applause.) African American, Asian American, and Hispanic American unemployment have reached their lowest levels ever in the history of our country. (Applause.) And, right here, in Wisconsin, the unemployment rate is just 2.8 percent - among the very lowest in the country. It's a great state. It's a fantastic state. (Applause.) So - doing some phenomenal work.

    We've powered our economic turnaround by following two fundamental rules: If it hurts American workers, we don't do it. It's very simple. And if it helps American workers, we definitely do it and we do it quickly. It's very simple. (Applause.)

    Our agenda is pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth - 100 percent pro-American. It's America First. It's "Make America Great Again." And you know what? Now, it's "Keep America Great" because we're doing awfully well. (Applause.) We're doing awfully well.

    To stop the offshoring - you know what offshoring is of American jobs - I signed the largest package of tax cuts and reforms in the history of our country. Since then, $876 billion - that's a lot even for you, Marillyn, right? That's a big number. (Laughter.) Has poured back into the United States from abroad. We want companies to invest, hire, build, and grow right here in America and right here in Wisconsin. (Applause.)


    We cut a record number of job-killing regulations, which will give the average household an extra $3,000 each year. So, each year, the average household - and you all see it; you all feel it - will get an average of $3,000. That's a lot. That's the biggest tax cut we've ever had in this country.

    And, by the way, I see the Democrat platform. They want to raise your taxes. I don't think that - I don't know, maybe - you know, I haven't been a politician too long. (Laughter.) Somehow that doesn't play well, right? They want to raise your taxes. Okay, we'll figure that one out. (Laughter.)

    We launched an American energy revolution. The United States is now the number-one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world, and it's not even close. (Applause.)

    And with a couple of environmental approvals for certain pipelines, we can get that and really do something with that number. It'll go up very substantially, very quickly, especially in the state of Texas.

    We're reversing decades of economic surrender and restoring America's industrial might. We surrendered, economically. What we did was so crazy. We helped other countries, but we never thought about our own country. We lost the magic. We've gotten it back. And we've gotten it back, I think you'll soon see, greater than ever before. (Applause.)

    And your executives know this: Companies are pouring back into our nation. Automobile companies from Japan and other nations are pouring back in. Many, many of the great auto companies are coming back into Michigan. They're coming back into Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina.

    You have not so many jobs left; we have to get some more workers over here, I think, Marillyn. We have to do something. But we have automobile companies and other companies pouring back in. And you had the greatest year you've ever had in the history of this state. This is a great state, but you had your best economic year that you've ever had, so that's great.

    Our nation was made of vibrant and strong - and it's got to be the most powerful, the best - it really was made with American manufacturing. And you know that a previous administration said, "Manufacturing is gone. You're going to have to take a magic wand to bring it back." Well, that was wrong.

    The previous administration, they allowed foreign nations to plunder our wealth and to pillage our factories. They sold out our workers and they hollowed out our industrial heartland. But those days are over.