WPRO File Photo.
By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Governor-elect Gina Raimondo brought a slice of Gregg’s “Death by Chocolate” cake with her today when she visited the White House. It was the same type of cake President Barack Obama ordered when he visited the Ocean State in October.
“The first thing he said when he saw me was how much he enjoyed Gregg’s,” said Raimondo reached by phone in Washington, D.C. Friday night. “I was happy to bring a nice big slice of Death by Chocolate Cake from Gregg’s and it was a wonderful moment. I always want to highlight good local companies and Gregg’s is certainly one we’re proud of.”
Raimondo met again with the President inside the Oval Office, this time joined by Massachusetts Governor-elect Charlie Baker, and newly elected governors from Alaska, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas.
“It was a terrific meeting,” Raimondo said. “I had the opportunity to meet with the president and some of his senior advisers and a number of cabinet officials and it was a bipartisan meeting for newly elected governors to understand how we could work effectively together and with the federal government in order to get the job done in our state.”
The President and the bipartisan group of new governors discussed job creation and the economy, saying they could agree on certain things despite party differences.
“Whether we’re talking about Democrats and Republicans and Independents working together or whether we’re talking about state, federal and local officials working together,” said President Obama at the gathering, noting that regardless of party, their job is to ensure “constituents are able to gain opportunity, work hard, prosper and feel secure.”
Raimondo and Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Wolf were the only Democratic governors of the group; Alaska’s Bill Walker is an independent.
“We spent quite a bit of time with the President in the Oval Office, had a very candid conversation,” she said. “Obviously my message was that we have to get Rhode Islanders back to work, you know we still have tens of thousands of people out of work, we need to put them back to work.”
She said the President did not offer any specific advice on Rhode Island, but did agree that leaders need to focus on training and skill development.
Raimondo said she also met with Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
