David Plazas

USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee

There is a lot at stake for TN such as health care, trade, infrastructure, Andrew Jackson's legacy.

Tell us in 150 words what you want to say to President Trump. Email dplazas@tennessean.com.

Davidson was one of three Tennessee counties that voted against Donald Trump for president in November.

Ninety-two other counties, however, backed him, which led to the 45th president’s 2-to-1 victory over Hillary Clinton in Tennessee.

So, while it might be strange that he is coming to a blue dot in a red state for his first trip to Nashville as commander-in-chief, there are a lot of important reasons why Music City should be a priority for the Trump administration.

Trump will hold his rally in Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and he is expected to be greeted by supporters and protesters alike in and around the arena.

What do you have to say to President Donald Trump?

Hopefully, this visit will be more than typical politics, populism and pageantry. There are lot of issues at stake for the region and state under Trump's policies and proposals, among them health care, infrastructure, manufacturing, immigration, trade and Andrew Jackson. Here’s why:

Health care

Nashville is the capital of the private health care industry in the United States. Very close attention is being paid to efforts to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

More than 250 health care companies have their headquarters in the Nashville area. The health care industry directly employs about 250,000 people in Middle Tennessee and it is the region’s largest and fastest-growing industry, according to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

In Tennessee’s nine congressional districts, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 231,700 people enrolled in Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges in 2016 — 74 percent of those live in strongly Republican districts. The remainder reside in the Nashville and Memphis areas.

The American Health Care Act proposal in the U.S. House, backed by Trump, would create significant changes to the health system — how providers will be paid, who will be covered and for what, and what the limits are to someone’s ability to receive care if he or she is sick.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates on important figures like cost are still to come, and there are concerns that millions of people will lose their care.

Trump will have an opportunity to make his case for the new plan at the rally.

Infrastructure

Trump’s visit comes as state lawmakers are debating whether to back Gov. Bill Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, which would pay for a $10.5 billion backlog in roads and infrastructure construction over the next 13 years.

In addition, Middle Tennessee mayors unanimously backed a strategic plan last year to fund a $6 billion regional transit system over the next 20 years, but how it will be funded is still in question.

The president has pledged to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure. In fact, Trump and Mayor Megan Barry briefly discussed the issue during an impromptu telephone conversation in January.

That investment will be important in a fast-growing region taking in 80 to 100 people a day and seeing its roads become ever more congested.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is an integral part of the state’s economy.

The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services through its Made in Tennessee directory reports that manufacturing “accounts for nearly 15 percent of the state’s total output and employs 11.4 percent of its workforce.”

Trump has promised an “America First” strategy to grow manufacturing and jobs in the nation.

Immigration

An area where Trump has drawn significant opposition in Nashville is his stance on immigration. He has signed executive orders on a more aggressive approach toward deportation of undocumented immigrants, banned travel to a half-dozen predominantly Muslim nations and set in motion a project to build a $20 billion wall along the Mexican border.

Nashville’s foreign-born population is 12 percent, and city leaders have made making Nashville welcoming to newcomers a priority.

Trump’s 2016 campaign rhetoric targeted against Mexicans and Muslims, in particular — two significant groups in Nashville — has created a tremendous degree of angst.

Metro Nashville Public Schools is rolling out a safe zones plan to restrict immigration operations in schools and help families cope.

And, in a Facebook Live interview on Thursday, Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson reiterated his position that police are not interrogating people about their legal status and he feels it is imperative to make sure that anyone, regardless of legal status, feels comfortable reporting crimes, providing witness testimony and keeping neighborhoods safe.

Trade

Trump opposed and has abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiated by the Obama administration and has expressed his intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trade is important to Tennessee, which ranks No.1 among states for job creation due to foreign-direct investment.

Japan provides more FDI to the state than any other country, and roughly 180 Japanese-owned companies operate in Tennessee.

The relationship is so important that the Japanese Consulate General for the Southeast U.S. is located in Nashville. It is fitting that Tennessee businessman and former state economic development official Bill Hagerty is Trump’s choice to be ambassador to Japan.

One particular area where Tennessee might be vulnerable is if the Trump administration is successful in implementing a border tax because residents already pay the highest sales tax in the country and this would compound that.

Andrew Jackson

While officials would neither confirm nor deny it, during his Nashville visit Trump is expected to tour The Hermitage, the home of the seventh president, Andrew Jackson.

Trump has relished being compared to Jackson because of his populism and unconventional style in politics (though some historians disagree with the comparison), and the president had Ralph E. W. Earl’s portrait of Jackson hung in the Oval Office.

The Obama administration decided to remove Jackson’s face from the front of the $20 bill and replace it with Harriet Tubman’s visage, with final designs to be released in 2020.

Trump called the move “political correctness” and said last year: “Andrew Jackson had a great history. I think it’s very rough when you take somebody off the bill.”

It will be interesting to see if he has anything to say about Jackson’s place on U.S. currency during his visit to Nashville.

Reach Opinion Engagement Editor David Plazas at 615-259-8063, dplazas@tennessean.com or via Twitter at @davidplazas.

What do you have to say to President Trump?

President Donald Trump comes to Nashville on Wednesday for his first trip to Music City as commander-in-chief.

This is a unique opportunity for the people of Middle Tennessee to send messages directly to the 45th president. Tell him what you think.

As such, we invite our readers to send their greetings, requests, compliments, concerns and complaints in letters of up to 150 words, which we will publish the day of his visit.

Please send your statements to dplazas@tennessean.com by noon Monday, March 13, and include your full name, address and phone number for verification. Only your name, city and ZIP code will be published.

Letters may be edited for clarity, length and libel.

Please also leave your comments on this article, and we will publish as many as we can.