The United States President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said that after he assumes the presidency, his administration will follow two simple rules -- Buy American and hire Americans.
The Republican billionaire said that going by the treaties the US has signed over the years with other countries, it is clear that the nation has been putting others' interests ahead of its, but he is not going for that.
"My administration will follow two simple rules. Buy American and hire Americans, right? We're going to do it. Because from now on, it's going to be America first, America first," Trump said while addressing a 'Thank You Tour' rally in Milwaukee in Wisconsin. The president-elect is on a nation-wide tour to thank people for electing him as their next president.
Trump, during the rally, claimed that US leaders before him did not put America's interest at the top while signing deals with other countries worldwide. He also called the deals struck with other nations "bad" and "disgraceful".
"I look at some of these deals we make and some of the treaties and some of everything and I say, I think these people were thinking about the other nations. I honestly do. I say it's impossible for this to happen either that or campaign contributions were magnificent for people. But they are so bad the deals are so bad, so disgraceful that I actually think they are putting other countries ahead of our own," he said.
"On trade, we're now running a nearly USD 800 billion annual trade deficit. I say who makes these deals? Who, now think of it. I have friends in here who are business people. Who makes these deals? Eight hundred billion dollars," he asked at the rally.
The billionaire also said that the US has lost almost one-third of its manufacturing jobs ever since NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and asserted that such a huge job cut sounds almost impossible.
"We have lost 70,000 factories. Think of it, 70,000. It like doesn't even sound like it's possible. And I know it's right because I have said it for the last month and a half and they never corrected me. So it has to be," Trump said.
