Sarah Huckabee Sanders travels to Europe for 1st overseas trade mission as Arkansas governor

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is heading to Europe on her first overseas trade mission since taking office this year.

Sanders, a Republican, said she planned to meet with aerospace industry leaders at the Paris Air Show during the trip. She also planned to meet with American, British, French and German business executives to make the case for investing in Arkansas, Sanders said in a statement released Wednesday.

Sanders said Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald and Arkansas Economic Development Commission Executive Director Clint O’Neal will also go on the trade mission.

The governor’s office said they planned to meet with executives from several companies, including Lockheed Martin, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Raytheon. Sanders’ mission will also include meetings in Cologne, Germany, her office said.

Aerospace and defense is a major part of Arkansas’ economy and makes up about 20% of the state’s exports, according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported details of Sanders’ trip on Wednesday. Her office said the state won’t have a breakdown of the cost of the trip until after the governor returns.

“It’s time for the whole world to learn what Arkansans already know: there’s never been a better time to invest in the Natural State and call it home,” Sanders said in a statement.

Sanders, who served as former President Donald Trump’s press secretary, was inaugurated in January as governor.