KENOSHA, Wis. _ President Donald Trump came to Wisconsin's tool manufacturer Snap-on Inc. on Tuesday to tout manufacturing and sign an executive order as part of his "Buy American, Hire American" agenda.
Trump's executive order is designed to clamp down on guest worker visas and require agencies to buy more goods and services from U.S. companies and workers.
As Trump closed in on the first 100 days of his presidency, he returned to Wisconsin to cement ties with a swing state that delivered him an unexpected victory in the 2016 election.
"He's here today to highlight American manufacturing and put a spot light on Snap-on," said the firm's chairman and chief executive officer, Nicholas Pinchuk.
"These are great, great people and I love the workers," Trump said, speaking at a lectern, backed by an American flag made of tools.
Trump said "no administration has accomplished more in the first 90 days," he said, adding that he was "building on that optimism."
Air Force One landed at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport at 1:21 p.m. under cloudy skies. Trump emerged from the aircraft, pumped his fists, then walked across the tarmac to speak with assembled guests, including Gov. Scott Walker.
Trump and his entourage were then whisked via helicopter to Kenosha. Joining Trump on the Wisconsin trip were top aides Reince Priebus who grew up in Kenosha County, Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon.
In an interview with WTMJ-TV, Trump promised to deliver on his $1 trillion infrastructure plan, praised Ryan and was confident of legislative victories in health care and tax reform.
Meanwhile, there was a palpable sense of excitement by those who waited in Kenosha for a glimpse of Trump.
Karen Gardella was among several dozen people staked out across the street from tool manufacturer Snap-on Inc. headquarters Tuesday, awaiting the visit by Trump.
"I think he's trying very hard to do what he says he's going to do. He didn't even get the 100-day honeymoon," said Gardella, 57, a Pleasant Prairie resident who dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that said, "Basket of Deplorables, Wisconsin Division."
Nearby, Sharon Hart, 72, of Pleasant Prairie, sat in a folding chair and watched the scene unfold outside the headquarters.
"I love our president," Hart said. "I think he's doing the best he can."
Jeff Schenning, a retired university housing director, said he has waited a lifetime for a businessman president.
"He's unpredictable but that's good," the Kenosha resident said. "The enemy doesn't know what he's going to do."
"Trump is for the poor and middle class," truck driver Skip Kealey, 49, said. Kealey was a Democrat until Barack Obama's presidency, and objects to paying a penalty for not buying health insurance under Obamacare.
The event is in the district held by House Speaker Paul Ryan, but the Janesville Republican is out of the country on a congressional trip to NATO countries.
Snap-on, founded in 1920, makes tools and automotive diagnostics equipment and has annual revenue of $3.4 billion.
Trump narrowly won in Wisconsin in the 2016 election, becoming the first Republican presidential nominee to win in the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Last month, Trump's approval rating among registered Wisconsin voters stood at 41 percent according to the Marquette University Law School Poll.
Trump traveled to West Allis in December as part of his "thank you" tour after the election. A planned February appearance at a Harley-Davidson plant in Menomonee Falls was canceled amid protest concerns.
