INDIANAPOLIS -- The Trump administration continues to tout hundreds of jobs that were saved at Indianapolis' Carrier plant as an example of how the new president intends on helping the American people get back to work.
When asked about conflicting unemployment rates used by Trump's administration during his first official White House briefing on Monday, press secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump isn't focused on statistics as much as he is on whether or not the American people are doing better as a whole.
Spicer said the president's goal is getting as many Americans to work as possible.
That's when Spicer brought up Carrier (it's about 1:30 in on the video).
"I know when we talked about Carrier at one point someone said 'Well that's 1,000 jobs.,'" Spicer said at the first official White House press briefing. "You talk about those 1,000 jobs and their families, during the holiday season, I would beg to differ that those people were unbelievably ecstatic that the president and vice president intervened. Every one of these meetings that you saw happen at Trump Tower and then now, it's all about whether it's 2,000 jobs or 20,000 jobs, that's the focus. It's making sure that small businesses have greater opportunity to be successful, that American workers can have their wages lifted up, that the benefits they received in terms of health care and education are something that provide them the support that they need."
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President Trump and Vice President Pence announced a deal last December to keep 800 jobs (not 1,000 as Spicer said) at the west-side plant, instead of moving them to Monterrey, Mexico. In exchange, Carrier will receive a $7 million tax break over the next ten years. Carrier's parent company, United Technologies, is also expected to invest $16 million into the Indianapolis plant.
"We did a good job with Carrier," Trump said at his first press conference as president-electin early January. "I want to thank United Technologies, which owns Carrier. We saved close to 1,000 jobs. They were gone. Mike Pence and his staff really helped us a lot."
Carrier announced it was leaving Indianapolisin February 2016, about 10 months before the deal was made.
FULL CARRIER COVERAGE: DOCUMENTARY SERIES: Moving to Mexico with 1,400 of Indy's lost jobs| Jilted workers get first look at Carrier's offer | TIMELINE: Carrier to ship 1,400 jobs from Indiana to Mexico | Trump made money off of Carrier in 2015 | Carrier president: More growth expected in '16 |Ex-Carrier employee sentenced for embezzlement | Carrier pay in Mexico questioned | Carrier refutes offer of $5.85/hour for workers to stay in Indy | Coats, Donnelly have 'disappointing' meeting with Carrier execs | Sen. Donnelly: Carrier never cited federal regulations as reason for move | Union president: 'We're not going away quietly' | Carrier employees protest move at statehouse | Pence on Carrier meeting: 'I don't want to create any false hope for people'| Moving to Mexico: What you need to know about Monterrey, Mexico | Moving to Mexico: On the ground in Monterrey, Mexico, where Carrier is moving Trump weights in on Carrier relocation to Mexico | Carrier: Company did not receive $5M in federal stimulus funds | President of United Steelworkers Union: No hope of saving 1,400 jobs | Carrier employees, local businesses reel after announcement of move to Mexico |WATCH: Employees react to news that Carrier is moving from Indy to Mexico
