Donald Trump met on Thursday with the head of one of the leading defense industry associations, suggesting that the businessman is seeking advice from a broader group of defense experts.
David Melcher, president of the Aerospace Industries Association, which is a leading trade association representing American aerospace manufacturers, participated in the briefing with the Republican presumptive nominee.
“The Aerospace Industries Association participated in a meeting today with the Trump campaign to brief Mr. Trump on issues of importance to our industry. As the voice of American aerospace and defense, AIA’s role is to educate our elected leaders, candidates for office and the general public on the importance of our industry to our economy and national security,” Melcher said in a statement.
The statement said the business mogul discussed “issues of importance” to the defense industry with Melcher, but did not provide any details of specifics the two men raised during the meeting.
The meeting reportedly lasted about an hour and occurred in New York at the request of the Trump campaign.
The association is nonpartisan and cannot endorse candidates. It has also spoken with Hillary Clinton’s campaign to set up a similar briefing.
The Aerospace Industries Association sent a series of position papers last year to every congressional and presidential campaign, including one saying that the next administration must support a defense budget “at or near 4 percent” of gross domestic product.
The Daily Beast reported that other defense contractors, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon also participated in Thursday’s meeting.
