Remarks by President Trump at the Opening of the Louis Vuitton Workshop-Rochambeau | Alvarado, TX | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

Louis Vuitton Workshop-Rochambeau  •  Alvarado, Texas  •  October 17  •  5:17 P.M. CDT
    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, everybody. Very, very much appreciated. We've had a tremendous day today in the Middle East. We were a little bit unconventional, and we did something that nobody has been able to do for many, many years. They've been trying to put things together. So we went the unconventional way, and they had some fighting and they said, "We don't like this fighting too much. This is a little more difficult than people thought."

    But I want to thank President Erdoğan of Turkey, and I want to thank the Kurds and Kurd leadership. I want to thank certain other countries that, behind the scenes, were helping us out. And it's a tremendous thing.

    ISIS is totally under control, and we're continuing to capture more. We have a tremendous situation worked out in so many different ways. And it's an honor to have been involved in it.

    I want to thank Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo. They traveled through the night. I don't know how safe this travel was. I had a lot of different reports going on. But they got there, and they did a fantastic job.

    We sent some early representatives to the site and the area where they negotiated, and we made a deal that's, I think, in the best interest of civilization. It's beyond Turkey and beyond Syria and beyond all of the countries that could have been involved in a disastrous war where millions of people could've been killed. Millions and millions of people could've been killed. And we were able to do something, and I think we'll get it done, and I think now we get it done.

    So we have a pause for a period of time - a ceasefire, a pause. And during that pause, a lot of things are happening. Already, they're starting to happen. People want to see it happen. And it was a great thing. So I just wanted to thank everybody.

    And, Bernard, I want to thank you for the incredible job you do. You're one of the truly great business people but, really, visionaries. It's much more than a business person. I know a lot of great business people, but they're not necessarily visionaries. There are very few. You're an artist and a visionary, and I want to congratulate you because this is a great vision that you had for the state of Texas and for our country. (Applause.) Thank you very much.


    Today, we continue the extraordinary revival of American manufacturing, and we proudly celebrate the opening of the brand-new Louis Vuitton - a name I know very well. (Laughter.) It cost me a lot of money over the years. (Laughter.) It's a workshop right here in Johnson County, Texas.

    We're honored to be joined today - (applause) - thank you. We're honored to be joined today by some of the great members of my Cabinet. They wanted to be here. This is a very important event. And we really do - we work very hard on jobs. Our country is setting records on jobs in so many ways.

    We have Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Wilbur, thank you. (Applause.) Labor Secretary Gene Scalia. Gene. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, Gene. And a very good friend of mine who's been with me right from the beginning, and somebody that's going to be going, I guess, at the end of the year. I'm going to miss you so much. A man who has been your long-term, talented governor, Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Rick, fantastic job. (Applause.) Fantastic. Stand up, Rick. He's done a fantastic job for a long period of time, and we really appreciate it.

    The Department of Energy has far, far progressed from those days three years ago when you took it over. So, thank you very much. We'll be announcing the replacement. And he, I think - it's a "he" in this particular case - I think he'll do a fantastic job. We worked on that together. Right, Rick? So thank you very much.

    Also joining us is your great Congressman, Roger Williams - a friend of mine, a very brave gentleman, too. (Applause.) Thank you, Roger. And - is this your territory, Roger, huh? Wow. I've known him for so long, and now I go to your territory. Now I see why they like you, and I know why they like you, Roger. Thank you very much.

    REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS: They like you too.

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, I hope so. They better. (Laughter.) It's Texas. They like me in Texas, I will say.

    And our terrific U.S. Ambassador to France, Jamie McCourt. Jamie, thank you very much. (Applause.) Great job.

    But we're especially grateful to Bernard and everyone at Louis Vuitton and the Louis Vuitton family: Alexander - I've gotten to know Alexander. He is going to be something. I don't know, he may surpass you. Do you mind that? No, I don't think so, right? (Laughter.) He's a special young man. And Global Chairman - thank you very much, Alexander. Where are you? We don't lose him much with that height. Well, how tall are you, Alex? (Laughter.) Huh? Great. Great. Thank you very much. Great job you're doing.


    And Global Chairman and CEO Michael Burke. Michael, thank you very much. Good job. (Applause.) Been with the company a long time, I understand. Four-oh? Is that true? Forty? Forty years. He said before, he was as tall as Alexander when he started. (Laughter.) Great job.

    And Chairman and CEO for North America, Anish Melwani. Where is - thank you very much. Great job you do. (Applause.)

    Also, the President and CEO of Louis Vuitton Americas Zone, Lanessa Elrod. Thank you, Lanessa. (Applause.) Thank you very much.

    I want to thank you all for your confidence in the United States and your confidence and investment in the Lone Star State, the great state of Texas. You'll be very happy. You'll be very, very happy.

    As Bernard mentioned, we met shortly after the election to discuss my vision for creating an American manufacturing renaissance through historic tax cuts, and better trade deals, and deregulation. And we're making trade deals like nobody has ever seen before. We just did one with China, phase one. We'll get it signed very quickly, for the farmers. Far, far bigger than anyone ever thought possible. Also, financial services and many other things.

    But the trade deals we've made with South Korea, with Mexico, Canada - assuming the Democrats ever get it passed, which is a question, because they don't seem to like to make deals very much. They have to get that one done. That's a very important transaction, the USMCA. And we're - and has tremendous support.

    We're joined also by Jared and Ivanka, who are both here today as - where is Ivanka? Jared? Stand up. What a good job you do. (Applause.) Even though they're related to me, just slightly, I will tell you, what a job. Ivanka is responsible for 14 million jobs this year, over the last couple of years, with companies going out and training people. And it's been an incredible success.

    She started off two and a half years ago; she wanted 500,000 jobs. That's a lot. But it was typical Ivanka. It ended up - and now, the number, I think it just crossed 14 million jobs going to Walmart, going to ExxonMobil, going to the great companies. And they train people. And the numbers are incredible, and that's one of the reasons that our numbers are so good. Thank you very much.

    And, Jared, great job you're doing. Thank you very much, both.

    Bernard had faith in that vision - the vision of doing something right here in this incredible state - and promised to bring a brand-new factory to the United States. And today, wow, has he delivered. He's really delivered. This is some place.

    Johnson County is home to some of the hardest-working patriots in America. Louis Vuitton's 50-million-dollar investment will be especially big and especially incredible to the small town of Alvarado, a community of fewer than 5,000 people. And this workshop, as they call it - it's a very big workshop - it's a great name though, actually. I could learn something from you about branding. I like that. (Laughter.) The "workshop."

    ...

    Read the full transcript HERE.


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