When Donald J. Trump repeatedly singled out the Japanese construction equipment maker Komatsu during his 2016 presidential campaign, employees at the company were taken aback.
In one interview, Mr. Trump criticized the Affordable Care Act as being so expensive that it required people to “get hit by a Komatsu tractor” to meet the deductible.
At the time, Komatsu’s president brushed off the remarks, saying the company was grateful to Mr. Trump for helping to raise its global profile.
After his improbable victory over Hillary Clinton, however, Komatsu took steps to ingratiate itself with the Trump White House.
Since then, it has increased investments in North America, adding thousands of workers to its payroll and ramping up domestic production.
Persons:
Donald J, Trump, “, Hillary Clinton, Komatsu
Organizations:
Komatsu, Trump White
Locations:
Tokyo, ingratiate, American, North America