LIMA (WTOL) - President Donald Trump spoke with workers Wednesday afternoon at a Lima plant where he not only talked about jobs and defense spending, but also went off topic.
Lima’s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center facility is the only remaining one in the country that makes military tanks, and faced shutting down over the last two decades, but remains open today thanks to increased funding. And according to the president, it’s all thanks to him.
“Well you better love me, I kept this place open, that I can tell you,” Trump said.
The president’s trip comes on the heels of a weekend Twitter lashing-out at UAW President David Greene and workers at the Lordstown GM plant that closed earlier this month.
Some Democrats expressed outrage over Trump’s timing.
“Dave Greene, the gentleman that he attacked, and the workers have done nothing wrong in Lordstown. They’re not the problem. GM has made a decision, has made a set of decisions, to basically pocket the tax break, move jobs to Mexico,” said David Pepper, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.
Aside from jobs and Lordstown, the president also doubling down on his attacks on former Arizona Senator John McCain.
“McCain didn’t get the job done for our great vets and the VA and they knew it. That’s why when I had my dispute with him, I had such incredible support from the vets and from the military,” Trump said.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who attended the event, said Trump’s comments weren’t attacks, but rather policy disagreements.
“It wasn’t personal, it was about policy, which I thought was more appropriate frankly. But John McCain’s a war hero, everybody knows that,” Portman said.
Trump is the first president to visit the facility since George W Bush went there in 2003.
After his speech, Trump took off to Canton for a fundraiser Wednesday evening.
