Trump strikes upbeat tone in S.C.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- President Donald Trump hit the road Friday to deliver a pep talk to U.S. workers and the rest of the nation, resurrecting the jobs promises that powered his election victory and pledging in a campaign-style rally to "unleash the power of the American spirit."

He later swerved from that positive message to renew his complaints about news coverage of his young administration.

"The FAKENEWS media ... is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" he wrote on Twitter, singling out The New York Times and TV networks. His outburst came a day after he defended his administration in a White House news conference.

He took a more upbeat tack at the rally.

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"We love our workers and we are going to protect our workers," Trump declared at a Boeing plant where the company showed off its new 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. "We are going to fight for jobs. We are going to fight for our families," he said in a reprise of the "America First" message from his campaign.

Trump is expected to stick to the theme today when he holds a rally in central Florida, a getaway from his month-old White House, which has been buffeted by crisis and embroiled in controversy.

The new president toured a 787-10 plane still under construction and, before leaving, sat in the pilot's seat of a completed airplane painted in contrasting shades of blue that formed the backdrop for his remarks. Some 5,000 employees and others inside a hangar greeted him with chants of "USA, USA."

The president, who owns an airplane but now travels exclusively on government aircraft, praised the Boeing jetliner as "an amazing piece of art." He noted that it's made of carbon fiber, seats 330 passengers, is 18 feet longer than the previous model and can fly for half a day before landing.

"The name says it all. Dreamliner, great name," Trump said. "Our country is all about making dreams come true."

"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," he said. "This is our mantra: Buy American and hire American."

Trump told the rallygoers, "America is going to start winning again, winning like never before," a staple promise from last year's campaign speeches.

In his remarks, Trump also mentioned that he's been in talks with Boeing executives to reduce the cost to the government of building a future Air Force One presidential aircraft. He has denounced the costs as "out of control."

Asked by reporters for an update after Friday's speech, Trump said, "Price is too high. But we're negotiating."

Among some Boeing employees, the reception to Trump was reserved, but optimistic.

Leif Anderson, who started working at the factory six years ago after leaving the Air Force, sat Thursday night at the bar at Domino Lounge, a pool hall 3 miles from the Boeing plant, smoking cigarillos and sipping a shot of Crown Royal apple whiskey alongside a glass of Bud Light.

Anderson said he voted for Trump more out of loyalty to the Republican Party but is "not jumping to conclusions" about the president as a leader.

"I'm really curious to see what he does," said Anderson, who leads a group of workers at the Boeing plant installing the plane's interior. He said he hopes that Trump's economic policies succeed, which he said would help his own career along with the country as a whole.

"If he does good, then I'm going to do good," Anderson said.

Elliott Slater, a Boeing mechanic, took the day off Friday and did not attend Trump's speech, saying he wanted to avoid the traffic.

"I didn't vote for him, either," said Slater, a Navy veteran. "He's not my president. He's got to earn my respect."

Slater, who supported the union's unsuccessful vote to organize the plant in Wednesday's election, said Trump would support companies over workers. "He's definitely pro-businesses, being a businessman himself. ... That's fine, but you know, how does the business treat its workers?"

After the Boeing tour, Trump departed South Carolina for his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he plans to spend the holiday weekend. He arrived late Friday afternoon.

Also along on the Florida trip were Trump's daughter Ivanka; her husband, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump; White House chief of staff Reince Priebus; and strategist Steve Bannon. Ivanka Trump waved and blew kisses to the crowd as she exited the completed 787-10 Dreamliner before her father did.

The White House said Trump might interview national security candidates at his estate.

Trump scheduled a campaign-style rally for today in Florida, his first as president. Trump on Twitter promoted his appearance: "Looking forward to the Florida rally tomorrow. Big crowd expected!"

The Florida rally comes as he makes his third weekend trip this month to what he calls his "Winter White House," his Mar-a-Lago resort. White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the rally was an example of how Trump plans to "continue taking his message directly to the American people."

Information for this article was contributed by Catherine Lucey, Darlene Superville and Deb Riechmann of The Associated Press and by Abby Phillip and Max Ehrenfreund of The Washington Post.

A Section on 02/18/2017