President of the United States Donald Trump,businessman Anthony Pratt and Prime Minister Scott Morrison during the official opening of the Pratt Industries Wapakoneta recycling and paper plant in Wapakoneta,Ohio.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Mr Morrison joked about the best way to pronounce Wapakoneta and drew laughter and cheers from the crowd when he told them of Australian place names including Wagga Wagga,Warrnambool and Woolloomoolloo.
The Prime Minister also thanked the veterans in the crowd by asking them to raise their hands.
"Thank you for your service,not just to the United States,but to the great alliance between Australia and the United States,"Mr Morrison said.
"The president and I are here today because we believe in jobs. We believe in the way that jobs transform lives. Our jobs give people choices."
Naming the most famous man to come from Wapakoneta,astronaut Neil Armstrong,Mr Morrison said unemployment in the US was now as low as it was in 1969 when Mr Armstrong became the first man on the moon.
The Trump administration is claiming to have created six million new jobs,including one million in manufacturing,to prove to its supporters its tariffs on imports are paying off.
Speaking during the factory tour in front of reporters,Mr Trump said Mr Pratt had promised to invest billions of dollars if the president won the next election.
Mr Pratt's company,built by his father,Richard,and still in private ownership,moved into the US market in the early 1990s.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump at the opening of the Pratt Industries Wapakoneta recycling and paper plant in Ohio.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
It expanded the Wapakoneta factory with about $US65 million of company equity and another $US210 million in finance helped by municipal bonds issued by the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority.
The project also gained a tax concession worth about $10 million over a decade from the local district.
Mr Morrison cited Mr Pratt's investment to tell Mr Trump's crowd of supporters that the US could rely on Australia,a constant theme during the Prime Minister's state visit.
"The thing about Anthony,which is true of all Australians,is we keep our promises,"Mr Morrison said.
"When we make a promise we keep it. When we make a promise to be an alliance we keep it.
"So,Mr President,thank you for the opportunity to be here today. Thank you for the opportunity for Australia and the United States to work together in the way we do - not just an alliance based on security and our defence forces,but an economic partnership.
"Together we are making jobs great again."