Lots of news from team Trump this morning.
Air-conditioning company Carrier, a unit of United Technologies, said last night it had reached a deal with Trump to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indiana, instead of moving them to Mexico. Trump and Vice President-elect Pence will travel to Indiana Thursday to make the announcement. Details of the “deal” with Carrier are unclear, but Trump is expected to use Thursday’s visit to discuss his plans to reduce regulations and cut corporate taxes.
The announcement enables Trump to deliver a down payment on his campaign promise to keep jobs in the U.S., even before he takes office.
Trump also chose two fellow billionaires to steer economic policy in his administration. Steven Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs partner and Hollywood financier, is his pick to be Treasury Secretary, and Wilbur Ross, known for his investments in distressed industries, will take the Commerce job.
Elaine Chao, former Labor Secretary for George W. Bush and wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, got the nod to be secretary of transportation, and Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, a determined opponent of the Affordable Care Act, will be health secretary.
Overall, the Trump administration is shaping up to look far friendlier to big business than candidate Trump’s rhetoric would have suggested. And in Washington, corporate lobbyists are shaking off their five-year slumber in preparation for what could be a very busy 2017.
Still hanging: Secretary of State. Trump continued his public dance with Mitt Romney last night, and no one seems to know whether it’s a serious romance, or pure theater. I’d bet the latter, but who knows? My decades of experience watching Washington is proving of no value in predicting Trump.