President Donald Trump hosted the owners of Oneida County's Sherrill Manufacturing at the White House Wednesday for a "Made in America" showcase. At a roundtable discussion with 20 small businesses, he praised the company's co-owner Gregg Owens for being the country's only remaining silverware manufacturer.
"What happened?" Trump asked.
"Well, everybody else went overseas chasing cheap labor," Owens said.
"That's terrible," Trump said. "I'm not surprised, but it is really somewhat surprising when you say the only. That's a hell of a statement."
"And our slogan is 100 percent made in America," Owens said while holding up on of his company's utensils.
"I think it's great, Trump responded.
At the meeting, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-New Hartford) invited Trump to the factory and asked him to support her bill that would require the U.S. military to get all of their silverware from American manufacturers. Trump said he would look at the legislation.
Tenney's earlier attempt to pass the measure was unsuccessful.
