One Of Those Things

Donald Trump wants to buy one of those things. Comments from his news conference last Friday:

And they’re also driving. And they’re building the trailers. They’re building a lot of things. They’re driving. People are — people are driving. I may have to buy one of those things, drive around town. Maybe I’ll drive back to New York with our first lady in a trailer. What do they call that? [Unidentified attendees call out “A Double Wide” and “An RV”]

An RV, an RV. Well, you should know [looking at Mike Pence]. Indiana’s the capital of RVs. [Laughter] I think I’m going to buy an RV and travel in one in an RV with our first lady. I don’t think anybody would mind that.

Trump is more than a little familiar with trailers. From an event held at the White House in July of 2018, here is one shot of Trump with Matt Miller, president of Newmar.

And another as Trump exits the London Aire that Newmar had showcased at the White House event:

From the RVIA:

The White House hosted its 2nd Annual Made in America Product Showcase in Washington, D.C. on Monday, July 23, featuring an assortment of items made in the U.S.

The White House extended invitations to American-owned and operated companies from each of the 50 states and with the booming RV manufacturing industry in Indiana, an RV was the obvious choice to represent Indiana.

Nearly two weeks ago, Newmar Corporation was contacted by the White House with the request to participate at the upcoming event – something that took them by complete surprise.

“At first we were cautious thinking someone was trying to pull a prank on us,” said Newmar President Matt Miller. After verifying that the invitation was indeed a valid request, the team confirmed their participation and were “honored to attend.”

Looks like Newmar might have a potential sale. But Trump better act quickly.

RV travel and camping provides an appealing vacation option for American families according to recent Ipsos research examining consumer interest and planned actions on travel choices in light of the COVID-19 crisis. According to the research, 46 million Americans plan to take an RV trip in the next 12 months. This positive news for RV manufacturers, dealers and campgrounds reinforces what US dealers are already seeing at the retail level.

I am still waiting on the May shipment numbers from the RVIA. I am very curious to see whether some of these 46 million Americans have started to buy RVs. I’m even more curious to see whether Trump buys one.