Image Credit: Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Donald Trump has boldly stated that he’ll somehow get Apple to start manufacturing their products in the US, in what is the latest in a long line of hyperbolic claims made by the presidential hopeful.
Despite the billionaire not having the authority to enact such a change in Apple’s manufacturing locations, he told attendees of his speech at Liberty University that he was “gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries.” Apple currently conducts most of its manufacturing overseas, though previously brought some of its Mac production back to the US, with the company investing $100 million in US manufacturing back in 2013.
However, Trump’s claim that he’ll get Apple to “start building their damn computers” in the US is knowingly misguided, given that he has no say over where Apple handles its business. If Trump was elected president, the most he could do would be to incentive Apple to start manufacturing in the country again, but considering back in 2011 the late Steve Jobs famously told Barack Obama that the manufacturing Apple had outsourced to other countries would not return to the US, it seems unlikely that Trump would be able to do so.
But not only is Trump’s vitriolic proclamation that he will force Apple to begin manufacturing in the US an empty promise, it’s also hypocritical considering that Trump’s clothing line is manufactured in other countries, too. Trump has been a vocal opponent of outsourcing throughout his campaign, saying that the country is “killing” the US on jobs and trade…
I love the Mexican people, but Mexico is not our friend. They’re killing us at the border and they’re killing us on jobs and trade. FIGHT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2015
…whilst simultaneously outsourcing the manufacturing of his Signature Collection clothing line to Mexico.
Image Credit: Mary Cummins / Facebook
Trump previously responded to criticisms of his comments regarding outsourcing by saying that he has “never disputed” that some of his production outsourced, adding: “[But] I don’t want that.”
However, with Trump clearly struggling to prevent his own products from being outsourced, how on Earth does he expect to somehow stop Apple from doing so?
