Taiwanese Manufacturer Foxconn Will Build Wisconsin Plant, Trump Announces
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/CBS News) -- The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn will build a plant in Wisconsin, the White House announced Wednesday.
As CBS2's Jessica Layton reported, Trump said Foxconn will invest $10 billion in Wisconsin – creating at least 3,000 jobs to start.
"When this investment is complete, Foxconn has the potential to create more manufacturing jobs than we've seen in many, many decades," Trump said.
Foxconn is perhaps best known in the U.S. as the manufacturer of Apple's iPhone and iPod, and also controversies surrounding its treatment of its workers in mainland China.
The company, which is the largest manufacturer of electronic products in the world, has been faulted for shoddy work conditions, and has made headlines for the numerous suicides that have taken place at its factories. It eventually installed suicide-prevention nets at some of its factories.
An invitation to the announcement describes the plant as a "state-of-the-art Gen 10.5 manufacturing facility for the production of LCD panel products." Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, and other Congressional leaders attended the announcement, along with Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and President Trump.
"This has the opportunity to be one of the largest job creators in US manufacturing," a senior administration official told CBS News. "These are excellent wage jobs."
President Trump had hinted at a June rally in Wisconsin that a new factory could soon open its doors in the state, saying he was "negotiating with a major, major incredible manufacturer of phones and computers and televisions." He also said Walker, who is running for reelection to a third term in 2018, might get "a very happy surprise very soon."
In a Tuesday interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said that Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised to build several factories in the U.S.
"I spoke to [Mr. Cook], he's promised me three big plants—big, big, big," Mr. Trump said as part of a discussion about business-tax reform and business investment. "I said you know, Tim, unless you start building your plants in this country, I won't consider my administration an economic success. He called me, and he said they are going forward."
The president on Wednesday not only touted his work to remove what he called job-killing regulations, but also touched on the topic that has been the biggest source of stress for Republicans lately – health care.
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a proposal that would partially repeal Obamacare.
"We better get that done, fellas," Trump said.
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a proposal that would partially repeal Obamacare.
