Donald Trump says the 'theft of American prosperity has come to a screeching halt'

Donald Trump has said that the “theft of American prosperity has come to a screeching halt” in a speech about improving US infrastructure.

The President was speaking in Cincinnati, Ohio on improving America’s roads, bridges, and water infrastructure and how the US is “spending money all over the world except here”.

Projects will be completed using “American energy, American iron, American steel,” he noted.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave US infrastructure in 2017 a grade of ‘D+’.

He also promised that the “steel folks will be happy” because the administration will attempt to stop other countries from “dumping” cheaper steel into the US market.

The President also mentioned failing “pumps and pipes” in water infrastructure but did not say anything about Flint, Michigan where residents have had to buy bottled water for nearly three years due to lead-contaminated municipal water from corroding pipes.

Mr Trump cited the “Panama canal, transcontinental railroad, great highway system” as large projects of a bygone era the likes of which he wants to bring back.

He failed to note that the Panama Canal and railroad both made extensive use of slave labour in order to be completed in a timely, and cost-effective manner.

Mr Trump said there would be $1 trillion in new investment into infrastructure projects, but he did not specify what portion would come from the government and what from the private sector.

He also said a critical part of “achieving our full economic strength [is a] repeal and replace [of] Obamacare”. The President did not speak about the connection between infrastructure improvements, the economy, and Obamacare.

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland called Mr Trump's infrastructure plan "insulting".

Speaking on a teleconference, Mr Raskin said the administration's "infrastructure plan is to infrastructure what Trump’s healthcare plan is to healthcare. It is a complete diversion from what we need to be doing it’s an abdication of public responsibility – and it’s a money making operation."

"Instead of making a real investment in that and putting together a bipartisan plan, Trump comes back with a strategy to just give more money to Wall Street and foreign banks and investors," said Mr Raskin.