President Donald J. Trump has often been accused of going off-topic in even the most benign conversations and speeches and did so again on Thursday while meeting with the CEOs of several major airlines to discuss the state of U.S. aviation.
In talking about the glaring and obvious need to improve the country's infrastructure-including modernizing U.S. airports and updating fleets-Trump segued and bemoaned the fact that America does not have a high-speed rail service.
"You go to China, you go to Japan, they have fast trains all over the place," Trump said in comments broadcast nationally on Thursday as several networks televised the beginning few minutes of his sit-down with airline and airport executives.
Then, looking right at the execs in which all were seated at a large conference table, Trump said, "I don't want to compete with your business but we don't have one fast train," drawing laughter from the assembled group.
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Ironically, Trump's comments lamenting the lack of such service came three days after California Republicans asked him to stop the federal government from issuing $650 million in new grant money intended just such a rail service between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The group quoted federal officials saying a new "bullet train" between California's two biggest cities would cost taxpayers more money than was originally intended-$60 billion from what was initially projected to be $33 billion.
California's Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown tweeted at Trump shortly after the remarks were made, saying "California's ready."
Trump said in the wake of his election that his ambitious $1 trillion infrastructure plan would include upgrades to mass transit and more high-speed rail service.
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