Trump Visits Shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump visited Wisconsin shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine and pledged his support for America's shipbuilding industrial base.
"As long as I'm president, America will never lose that shipbuilding talent or capability. It won't lose that excellence or the expertise of the men and women of Marinette Marine, we'll never lose that. Never lose it," Trump said.
Trump also congratulated Fincantieri Marinette and its workforce on securing a $5.5 billion contract for the U.S. Navy's FFG(X) future frigate program. "The first in class FFG(X) will not just be a win for Wisconsin workers, it will also be a major victory for our Navy," he said. "There's never been anything so advanced as what you're building. The ship is 30 times more powerful than the previous generation."
LIVE: President Trump delivers remarks at Fincantieri Marinette Marine https://t.co/D8UIY7BUJi
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 25, 2020
Trump suggested that once the expansion work at Fincantieri Marinette Marine is complete and work is under way on the FFG(X), more Navy contracts could well be in the yard's future – and that that future now looks bright.
"Not long ago the future of this historic shipyard was looking, can I use the word bleak? Yes, I think we can, it was looking bleak, you were down to 44 people and it was getting ready to close up . . . you were going to levels of poverty. They actually had levels of poverty that no one would have believed," Trump claimed. "But this past April, Marinette's fortunes turned around, and they turned around quickly."
Trump also addressed the details of the contract selection process. "I hear that the maneuverability is one of the big factors that you were chosen for the contract. The other is your location in Wisconsin, if you want to know the truth," Trump said.
Before the announcement of the contract award in April, former Austal executive Craig Hooper predicted that the FREMM proposal had an edge due not only to the high quality of the product, but also the unique circumstances of the 2020 election. Unlike Maine (home to Bath Iron Works) or Alabama (home to Austal USA), Wisconsin is a swing state, and it broke narrowly for Trump in 2016. According to Trump, the FFG(X) contract will create or support thousands of jobs at the shipyard and in the Wisconsin supply chain.
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