NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – President Donald Trump sought to shift the focus away from the rocky launch of his administration Friday, getting out of Washington for campaign-style events to energize supporters and talk up factory jobs.
Trump flew to South Carolina, where Boeing is rolling out the first 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft from its assembly line. From there, he’ll continue to Florida, spending time at his estate in Palm Beach and holding one of his signature rallies Saturday in central Florida.
The trip follows a marathon news conference Thursday that appeared to be the start of an effort to galvanize a White House that has been buffeted by crisis and paralyzed by dysfunction.
Trump said Friday on Twitter that he was going to South Carolina “in order to spend time with Boeing and talk jobs!” President Barack Obama made a similar trip in 2012, visiting a Boeing plant in Washington state to view some of the 787s under assembly.
At the raucous news conference, Trump denounced the “criminal” leaks that took down his top national security adviser and revived questions about his own ties to Russia.