Trump Warns US Companies: There Will Be 'Consequences' for Leaving
— -- President-elect Donald Trump touted his deal to keep at least 1,000 jobs at a manufacturing plant in Indianapolis, but he was largely silent on the details.
"Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences," he said to workers at the Carrier plant. "These companies aren't going to be leaving anymore. They aren't going to be taking people's hearts out."
Before the event, Trump toured the facility alongside Vice President–elect Mike Pence.
Carrier said the agreement is due in part to the incoming administration's lobbying as well as state tax incentives. Trump's transition team has refused to publicly disclose the full details of the deal, but company officials said in a statement today that the state of Indiana, where Pence is governor, offered the company a $7 million package over multiple years, contingent on factors including employment, job retention and capital investment.
The state tax incentives appear to be a stark contrast from what Trump said on the campaign trail where he threatened to levy a 35 percent tax against Carrier imports if the company moved production to Mexico.
During the rally, Trump recounted his conversations with United Technologies chairman Greg Hayes and said he personally lobbied him to not open their planned manufacturing plant in Mexico.
"I called Greg Hayes, I heard of him but I never met him and he picked up the phone "Mr. President-elect, sir, how are you?"" Trump said. "It's wonderful to win. Think if I lost he would have returned my call? I don't know."
Trump then put other companies potentially considering a move out of the United States on notice.
"We won't need so much flexibility for other companies because we are going to have a situation where they're going to know, number one we'll treat them well, and number two there will be consequences," Trump said. "Meaning, they'll be taxed very heavily at the border if they want leave, to fire their people, leave, make product in different countries and then think they'll sell that product over the border."
After Indianapolis, Trump heads to Cincinnati, where he will kick off his thank-you tour at 7 p.m. ET.
The rally will be his first since his victory party on Nov. 9. It is being held at U.S. Bank Arena, the site of one of his largest rallies during the campaign.
Trump's often boisterous behavior during rallies defined a large part of his campaign, though it's unclear whether he will use the same approach with his tour. In recent interviews, he has signaled some awareness of real divisions in the country after his upset victory, though his Twitter feed has revealed his frustration with the recount effort in three states pushed by Green Party candidate Jill Stein and with Hillary Clinton's wide lead in the popular vote.
As he continues working with aides on the massive transition effort, he plans to visit states that he won and some where he didn't prevail, according to a Trump official.
