President Trump spoke Tuesday of his love for cranes and “trucks of all types” during a speech in Pennsylvania on American energy and manufacturing.
“I love cranes. I love trucks of all types. Even when I was a little boy at 4 years old my mother would say, ‘you love trucks,’ ” Trump told a crowd of workers at a Shell petrochemical plant in Monaca. “I do. I always loved trucks. I still do.”
“Nothing changes,” he continued. “Sometimes, you know, you might become president, but nothing changes. I still love trucks, especially when I look at the largest crane in the world. That’s very cool.”
“You think I’ll get to operate it?” Trump asked as the crowd erupted with laughter.{mosads}
Shortly after, he joked about giving the press “a little ride” while imitating driving a crane.
“We’ll put the media on it and I’ll give them a little ride,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly emphasized the manufacturing sector as he moves toward next year’s election, often citing his personal history as a real estate developer.
In 2017, the president had a viral moment when he pretended to drive a tractor-trailer during a photo-op at the White House with leaders from the trucking industry.
At the time, social media users mocked Trump, calling him a “big boy” playing with trucks.
The viral photo-op was later made into a picture book titled “The President and the Big Boy Truck.”
Trump slammed a number of familiar targets during his Tuesday speech, including Hollywood, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the World Trade Organization and Democratic 2020 White House hopefuls including former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.).