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June 25th, 2020 | by NEWCAPresident Donald J. Trump became the first sitting president to visit Marinette, WI today when he touted another type of construction that is prominent in Northeast Wisconsin as he toured Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
The shipbuilder recently was awarded a $5.5 billion contract to build first-in-class guided mission frigates for the Navy. After touring the facilities where the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships are being built, he addressed a crowd of about 700, reportedly mostly employees.
Dario Deste, president and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group gave the president a warm reception, “We are honored to have the President here in Marinette. It means so much to the men and women who put their hearts and souls into building tremendous warships for this country.”
President Trump was equally gracious congratulating the shipbuilder’s employees, saying, ““You are a national treasure. Your patriotism cannot be outsourced. You will forge the future of the Navy.”
"As long as I’m your president, America will never lose that ship-building talent or capability," the president continued. “It’s like a yacht with missiles on it,” he remarked in front of the future USS Cooperstown.
The contract award will benefit the company and its employees, but its benefits are even more far-reaching. For starters, Marinette Marine will be hiring more than 1,000 new employees to fulfill the contract. These will likely be long-term hires, which will, mean growth and expansion to other local businesses, such as housing, retail, restaurants and entertainment sectors.