President Donald Trump, perhaps hoping to take his mind off of the Russian investigation and the troubled health care bill, kicked off "Made in America Week" with a parade of American manufacturers in the White House, one from each of the 50 states. And the White House video team was there to chronicle the event.
Trump speaks to the camera in full salesman mode: "It's 'Made in America,' right here at the White House. We have all sorts of beautiful equipment and other items on the lawn, in the Rose Garden, all over the place. Made in America, it's the best!"
The only heavy equipment shown is an Altec bucket truck. After that we mainly see items that appeal to certain niches. For the cowboys, we see a Stetson hat (specially monogrammed for Trump, who puts it on) and chaps by K Bar J Leather. For the sports fan, there are Ping golf clubs and Marucci wood baseball bats (again monogrammed for Trump, and again, Trump tries out the item with his name on it.) For the gun enthusiast, there are bulletproof vests from RMA Armament and gun scopes from Leupold and Stevens.
Yet in the video, there were no Trump brand ties or Ivanka Trump brand shoes, as those are not made in America (there aren't even any Trump Steaks – darn!). Off-camera, a White House spokesman defended the Trump's family's offshoring: "some lines, some industries, some products may not have the scalability or the demand here in this country." Perhaps – but then we can only conclude those items are not "the best."
Source: The White House
American Made Donuts and Chaps
But the resulting video hardly engenders confidence that America is on the verge of becoming a manufacturing powerhouse once again. The items Trump hawks are mostly boutiques. And one merchandising brand is noticeably missing: Trump.Trump speaks to the camera in full salesman mode: "It's 'Made in America,' right here at the White House. We have all sorts of beautiful equipment and other items on the lawn, in the Rose Garden, all over the place. Made in America, it's the best!"
The only heavy equipment shown is an Altec bucket truck. After that we mainly see items that appeal to certain niches. For the cowboys, we see a Stetson hat (specially monogrammed for Trump, who puts it on) and chaps by K Bar J Leather. For the sports fan, there are Ping golf clubs and Marucci wood baseball bats (again monogrammed for Trump, and again, Trump tries out the item with his name on it.) For the gun enthusiast, there are bulletproof vests from RMA Armament and gun scopes from Leupold and Stevens.
But No American Made Trump Products
Stretching the definition of manufacturer, the videos ends with a shot of cinnamon Cider Belly Doughnuts, followed by the artisanal brooms from Broomcorn Johnny and footage of Trump signing a "Made in America" proclamation.Yet in the video, there were no Trump brand ties or Ivanka Trump brand shoes, as those are not made in America (there aren't even any Trump Steaks – darn!). Off-camera, a White House spokesman defended the Trump's family's offshoring: "some lines, some industries, some products may not have the scalability or the demand here in this country." Perhaps – but then we can only conclude those items are not "the best."
What is Your State Making?
Curious what each state is featuring this week? Here's a list of what each state is highlighting for Made In America week:| State | Product | Manufacturer |
| Alabama | Bucket trucks | Altec |
| Alaska | Bowls | Alaska Bowl Company |
| Arizona | Golf clubs | PING Golf |
| Arkansas | Conveyor belt | Hytrol |
| California | Wine | The California Wine Institute |
| Colorado | Neon signs | Gordon Signs |
| Connecticut | Helicopters | Sikorsky |
| Delaware | NASA space suit | ILC Dover LP |
| Florida | Tumblers | Tervis |
| Georgia | Food | Chick Fil A |
| Hawaii | Rum | Koloa Rum Co. |
| Idaho | Engineered wood floors | Boise Cascade |
| Illinois | Farm equipment | Caterpillar |
| Indiana | Brooms | Broomcorn Johnnys |
| Iowa | Body armor, dummies | RMA Armament |
| Kansas | Lawn mower | Grasshopper Company |
| Kentucky | Apparel | Campbellsville Apparel |
| Louisiana | Baseball bats | Marucci Sports |
| Maine | Yacht | Hinckley Yachts |
| Maryland | Crab pot | Health Crab Pots |
| Massachusetts | Horseshoes | St. Pierre Manufacturing |
| Michigan | Fabric | Milton Manufacturing |
| Minnesota | Wool blankets | Faribault Woolen Mill |
| Mississippi | Forklift | Taylor Machine Works |
| Missouri | Door hinges | Beehler Corporation |
| Montana | Fishing gear | Simms Fishing |
| Nebraska | Beef | Greater Omaha Packing |
| Nevada | Candy | Kimmie Candy |
| New Hampshire | Doughnuts | Cider Belly Doughnuts |
| New Jersey | Soup | Campbells Soup |
| New Mexico | Plastics | Desert Plastics |
| New York | Piano | Steinway |
| North Carolina | Soda | Cheerwine |
| North Dakota | Military outerwear | Dakota Outerwear |
| Ohio | Shovels, rakes | Bully Tools |
| Oklahoma | Trencher/excavator | DitchWitch |
| Oregon | Sights and scopes | Leupold and Stevens |
| Pennsylvania | Wheel barrows | Ames |
| Rhode Island | Beer | Narragansett Brewing Company |
| South Carolina | Cushions | Casual Cushion Company |
| South Dakota | Shotgun chaps | K Bar J Leather |
| Tennessee | Guitars | Gibson Guitars |
| Texas | Cowboy hats | Stetson Hats |
| Utah | Flags | Colonial Flag Company |
| Vermont | Maple syrup | Dubie Family Maple |
| Virginia | Flags | National Capital Flag Company |
| Washington | Water bottles | Liberty Bottleworks |
| West Virginia | Iconic fiesta line of china | Homer Laughlin China Company |
| Wisconsin | Firetrucks | Pierce Manufacturing |
| Wyoming | Model aircraft | Aviat Aircraft |