Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a sharp adversary of the Obama administration, will join President Obama when he visits the commonwealth on Friday.
McDonnell, a Republican, will meet Obama in Richmond and accompany him to the Prince George County plant of Rolls-Royce, an international power systems company.
Rolls-Royce has a 1,000-acre facility about 30 miles outside Richmond. On Tuesday, McDonnell announced that the company is exploring the possibility of opening a high-tech manufacturing facility in Virginia that would manufacture turbine blades for aircraft.
As leader of the Republican Governors Association, McDonnell has frequently criticized Obama. That came to a head after McDonnell endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Republican primary.
“The governor looks forward to welcoming the president to Virginia,” McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said.
