At Fincantieri Marinette Marine Thursday, President Donald Trump praised shipyard workers, who will construct a new warship for the U.S. Navy. He also seemed to imply that he had input into the final design of the vessel.
“People don’t realize the talent that we have. We started getting away from it. We started not building in the navy. We haven’t built enough ships. The ships that they were building, they looked terrible. I changed designs, I said ‘that’s a terrible looking ship, let’s make it beautiful.'”
Trump said the ship is beautiful, in his words, “like a yacht with missiles.” The Wisconsin shipyard was awarded a nearly $800 million contract to build a first-in-class guided missile frigate for the Navy, with options for up to 10 ships.
Trump spoke in front of the future USS Cooperstown, and also promised additional investment in the Marinette shipyard and boasted about the advanced design of the vessel.
The president’s visit to northeast Wisconsin also included a taping of a town hall with Fox News personality Sean Hannity, a strong supporter of the president and his policies.
Trump’s presence in the state came the same week as a campaign stop by Vice President Mike Pence, who courted crucial white evangelical voters in the Milwaukee suburbs on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a newly released Marquette Law School Poll showed Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden among likely voters here.