President Donald Trump touted the economy Monday at a White House event showcasing American-made merchandise, The Washington Post reported. At the second annual "Made in America" event, the president strolled among snowboards from Colorado, cowboy boots made in Texas and campers from Indiana — all required to be “‘all or virtually all’ made in the U.S.” President Trump toured an RV camper manufactured by Indiana-based Newmar Corp. and looked at Ford's Model T to the F-150, which he said were beautiful. Trump called present-day America a time of "great economic revival in the United States,” crediting the shift in growth to his policies, tax cuts and deregulation. The Trump administration boasted of creating 8.7 million jobs since the 2016 election. The president also claimed that the country has seen historically low unemployment numbers for African American, Asian and Hispanic communities. Manufacturing jobs are also on the up and up, according to Trump, who said that since his taking office there have been 370,000 manufacturing jobs, which is 25,000 more than the figures released by the White House. National Association of Manufacturers Chief Economist Chad Moutray agreed, in part, with Trump. “Manufacturers are more optimistic than any time in modern history," Moutray said. "Pro-growth tax and regulatory reform has given manufacturers the confidence to hire more workers, raise wages and increase investments." The 2018 Second Quarter Manufacturers' Outlook Survey registered positivity at 95.1 percent, the highest it's been in 20 years. Following the regulatory changes, CEOs throughout the country planned to reinvest savings, expand facilities and increase employee salaries, according to NAM's Tax Reform Survey. Manufacturing wages, President Trump said, are the highest they have been in 17 years. However, Moutray cautioned, a trade war would set recent progress back.
