For ABC News, George Stephanopoulos interviews Mike Pence about the incoming Administration’s business strategy concerning Carrier and another company moving jobs to Mexico, Rexnord:
STEPHANOPOULOS: So does he now pick up the phone and call the head of Rexnord?
Does he call all these other companies who are going to move overseas?
PENCE: Well, I think what you’re going to see — and the president-elect will make those decisions on — on a — on a day by day basis in the — in the course of the transition and in the course of the administration.
But what you’re seeing emerge here — and I think it’s so exciting for millions of Americans — you should have seen the emotion on people’s faces…
STEPHANOPOULOS: We saw it.
PENCE: — at the Carrier plant, George. I mean this was — and I mean I — it was one of the most emotional experiences that I’ve had in my public career, the way people reached out, grabbed our president-elect by the hand and just said thank you AMB. ), because they see in him someone who’s going to fight for American jobs.
He’s going to fight on the world stage in negotiating trade deals. And he’s going to come here to Washington, DC and he’s going to fight to raised taxes, roll back regulations, repeal and replace ObamaCare and make American manufacturing come back to life.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You say he’s going to make these decisions on a — on a day by day basis.
Isn’t that picking winners and losers?
I mean Sarah Palin calls it crony capitalism?
I think it means there’s going to be significant unhappiness among firms, starting with these, but as the whim of the Administration impacts other industries over imagined or real injustices, it’ll spread to general industry. Can an Administration which targets individual companies, whether with tax incentives or with punishments, remain effective throughout its term? Or will it end up floundering about, looking foolish?
And will it matter to its supporters? I’m not sure Trump really needs the support of all of American and international business, just Wall Street and the health insurance industry may be enough to tide it over. But the business segment may look like someone took a thresher to it.
