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Guest Column

The Speech President Donald Trump Should Give

For too long we’ve gotten away from what made America great

By Matt Michel
Trump illustration
January 23, 2017

TRUMP: I want to thank everyone for coming here today, especially all of the dignitaries. This is great. It’s so great. As you know, well maybe you don’t know if you listen to the media, who are bad people, very bad… very, very bad. But you should know, you should. I was in Indiana recently to meet with the Carrier workers whose jobs I saved.

APPLAUSE

TRUMP: Yes, I saved 700 jobs. It was great, so great. And such a win when you save 900 jobs, such a win. But there’s more winning left. And oh, how we will win. We will win and win bigly. But to win, we need to get better. We need to do things differently. Let me tell you how. I will tell you how.

Yes, I saved 1,100 jobs at Carrier. And they are going to make such beautiful furnaces, which the EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] wants to outlaw, but we’re going to stop them. Oh yes. We’re going to stop the EPA. We’re going to stop the regulations that are killing jobs. We’re going to stop them, stop them.

So all of these beautiful furnaces need to be installed and serviced by someone. Who is going to do that? Who? We do not have enough people to do the work. Let me tell you, we have a shortage of skilled labor in our nation. It’s a shortage. There are not enough.

Now, people say, “Mr. Trump, we can import Mexican workers to install these furnaces.” I have nothing against the Mexican people. I love the Mexican people. I have so many friends there, so many friends. And they love me. But we are not going to import Mexicans to install our furnaces and air conditioners. No, not when we need jobs. Jobs, jobs, JOBS!

APPLAUSE

TRUMP: My administration is going to be all about jobs. We are going to create so many great jobs. But we need people to fill those jobs. Where will we get them?

For too long we’ve gotten away from what made America great. We’re going to make America great again. We’re going to put shop class back in the schools. When America was great, we used to teach our young people to learn a trade so they would always have something to fall back upon. Trades can make America great again, so great.

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I know so many tradespeople. They love me. They voted for me. They are winners because they helped me win. So, we’re going to stop sending everyone to college. Straight out of high school, we’re going to help more people learn trades.

APPLAUSE

TRUMP: Let me tell you, there are jobs for skilled tradespeople. So many jobs. So many great jobs. Contractors are begging for people. Begging. And what are we doing? We’re producing ethic studies majors and gender studies majors. What kind of a job can you get with a four-year degree in gender studies? What kind? What is gender studies? Who needs a college degree to study the other gender? I know. I know.

LAUGHTER

TRUMP: Did you know that an air conditioning technician with an associate degree makes 30 percent more than a gender studies major with a four-year degree? And the gender studies major pays five times as much tuition. Five times. Plus, the air conditioning technician only spends two years in school before making money. The gender studies major takes four years and has to move into his or her parents’ basement for four more years while looking for a job. It doesn’t take a genius like me to see who’s getting the better deal. I know. I’m very, very smart, and I know. I’m all about the deal.

If we’re going to make America great again; if we’re going to keep jobs here, we have got to teach people trades again. And we will. We will. Send your kids to trade school. Teach them a trade. If they want to go on to get a four-year degree, they can. They can pay for it with the money they earned in their trade.

When they pay with their own money, they won’t want to be aggrieved studies majors. They won’t want to protest against the 1 percent. They will want to work hard to become part of the 1 percent, like me. If they’re spending their money, they will want a degree in science, technology, engineering, math — the STEM degrees — or business.

Let me tell you, this will make America great again! 


 Editor’s Note: This is solely the warped imagination of the writer and should not reflect poorly on this publication or the writer’s organization. Let me tell you, bigly.


Publication date: 1/23/2017

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KEYWORDS: EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) My Two Cents skilled trades Trump Administration

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Matt Michel is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Service Nation and other contractor organizations. He is a recipient of the ACHR NEWS’ Legends of HVAC Award and was named by the NEWS as “one of the top five business advisors in the HVACR industry.” Contact him at (214) 995-8889.

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