- The White House hosted a company from each state on Monday for an event that highlighted American-made products.
- But when President Donald Trump went off on a tangent regarding racist statements he wrote on Twitter over the weekend, he was met with increasingly loud applause from company representatives gathered on the South Lawn.
- Business Insider reached out to 25 of the companies represented in the crowd. Here's what a few had to say.
- Visit Markets Insider for more stories.
The White House hosted a company from each state on Monday for an event meant to showcase American-made products. But some attendees ended up celebrating more than domestically sourced manufacturing.
When President Donald Trump went off on a tangent regarding racist statements he wrote on Twitter over the weekend, he was met with increasingly loud applause from a crowd gathered on the South Lawn for the third annual Made in America showcase.
"With our country and I think everybody in this audience - these are great manufacturers in this audience, great workers in our audience too, they brought a lot of their workers here - if you're not happy here, then you can leave, as far as I'm concerned," the president said, drawing approval from some company representatives.
According to Washington Post photographs of notes he held during the event, Trump came prepared to amplify racist tropes he launched Sunday against several minority members of Congress.
Of the four women he suggested should "go back" to the countries they "originally came from" - Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts - three were born in the US.
Cheers were heard on top of the applause from a portion of Made in America guests after Trump brought up that statement, which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have condemned as racist and xenophobic. It wasn't clear if they were aware of the controversy.
"That's what I said in a tweet, which a lot of people think is controversial - a lot of people love it, by the way - if you're not happy in the US, if you're complaining all the time, you can leave. You can leave right now. Come back if you want, don't come back, that's okay, too. But if you're not happy, then you can leave."
Business Insider reached out to all of the companies represented in the crowd. Many didn't respond, while Lockheed Martin declined to comment.
Here's what a few had to say:
"I was not one of the participants that was applauding." -Backyard Jams and Jellies, Delaware
"There was not one person in the crowd that did not agree with him. When people come to this country LEGALLY, they should not bite the hand that is welcoming them. To say they support the enemies of this country that are killing Americans makes them an enemy to me. There is no place for anyone living in this country that feels this way. I would have added, 'if you're not happy here, you can leave and we'll help you pack'" -Johnson Woolen Mills, Vermont
"Buck Knives is honored to have been chosen to represent the State of Idaho at the Made in America Product Showcase at the White House. Representatives from Buck Knives attended the event and were there to discuss Made in America companies and products." -Buck Knives, Idaho
"To be honest, I wasn't aware of the situation going into today's event and had to wait until after to gather more context. My main focus of attendance was representing my company and state. I don't personally place much stock into much of anything said or shared on any social media platform as it's impossible to have a serious debate or gather any sort of nuance on someone's perspective from tweets. I will say that being in a group of attendees doesn't necessarily mean that I share the same opinions as anyone else in that group." -Snake Bite Co, Missouri
"The President's controversial statements has no correlation to the 'Made in America' event we were invited to earlier today. We believe America is the land of opportunity, and support anyone that has the courage and willingness to serve our country proudly regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation." -Redline Steel, Alabama
California-based Hostyle Racing asked why Business Insider inquired about the Made in America speech, which it asserted "has nothing to do with our Business or the event that our business was selected to attend!?"
"I can't speak for the issue of Trump's tweets. We were there to represent our respective companies, not engage in a political dispute." -Luke's Toy Factory, Connecticut
"Unfortunately, I don't have a Twitter account so I cannot speak to the Tweet issue directly. I can say though, the event was great." -BaileyWorks, Inc., New Hampshire
If you are a company representative who attended the Made in America event and would like to offer comment, contact this reporter at gheeb@businessinsider.com.