140 characters are wielding an unprecedented amount of power these days. As Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches, American business leaders are already heeding the direction that his administration promises to take.
On Tuesday, Trump’s Twitter account was credited with two decisive victories. The first was a decision by Ford Motors to cancel a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico and retain jobs in the United States. The second was a decision by Congressional leadership to pause changes to an ethics watchdog group. Both calls came after the president-elect drew negative attention to the issues over Twitter.
Now, a handful of companies with a heavy presence in Alabama are reportedly also on the look-out to ensure they don’t cross the president-elect.
According to a report in CNBC, defense and aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin may be among them. Like other major government contractors, the company could be heavily impacted by perceived conflict with Trump.
In FY 2015, Lockheed Martin was expected to collect over $36 billion in government contracts. A significant portion of that has come to Alabama through the company’s plants and other investments. In 2015, they also announced that an additional 240 jobs and $55 million in capital improvements would be poured into Lockheed’s Troy’s facility.
Other companies that will likely be closely watching Trump’s Twitter account include aerospace contractor Raytheon, which trails behind Lockheed as one of the nation’s most prominent defense companies. Slated for over $13 billion in defense contracts in FY 2015, the company employs 700 in Huntsville.
Likewise, Northrop Grumman received $10 billion in federal commitments, while L-3 Communications received $5 billion in FY 2015.
