Manufacturing leaders respond to Donald Trump victory with letter of support

A national trade association has offered its support to President-elect Donald Trump after what it called a “divisive election.”

In a statement following Trump’s surprise victory Tuesday night, Nov. 8, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons said that manufacturing and business leaders from across the country “have pledged to rebuild trust in our democratic and economic institutions so that we can ensure our exceptional country offers abundant opportunity to all.”

“Regardless of political party affiliation, the president of the United States deserves the respect of all Americans, and for the sake of our country, manufacturers want our next president to stand tall on the world stage and stand up for America’s entrepreneurs,” Timmons said. “We will do our part, sharing our ideas and our expertise with President-elect Trump and the 115th Congress to lead by example and set a productive tone for this next chapter in our nation’s history.”

Timmons said more than 1,100 manufacturing and business leaders — including Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Randy Zook — have signed a letter to Trump and others elected Tuesday night. The letter urges them to “worry less about the powerful political extremes and concern themselves solely with solutions that will lift all Americans up and leave no one behind” — solutions NAM will lay out in the weeks ahead, the statement claimed.

“This election makes clear that Americans agree that manufacturing is the nation’s priority. They want our industry to lead the world and create more jobs. They know that when manufacturing is strong, America is strong. It will be up to us to channel that enthusiasm towards the right policies,” Timmons added.

Signatures for the letter, and the important commitments from business leaders, were gathered over a period of nearly two weeks, well before the results of the election were known. The effort was initiated by Timmons; Tenneco Inc. Chairman and CEO and NAM Board Chair Gregg Sherrill; and Emerson Chairman and CEO and NAM Board Chair-elect David Farr.

To view the letter, click here.