Trump: Apple to Build '3 Big Plants' in U.S. Tim Cook 'promised me three big plants-big, big, big,' Trump tells The Wall Street Journal.
This story originally appeared on PCMag
President Donald Trump really wants Apple to manufacture its iPhones and other gadgets in the U.S. He might soon get his wish.
The president in a Tuesday interview with The Wall Street Journal said the Cupertino tech giant is planning to build three "big," "beautiful" manufacturing plans in the U.S. Apple did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment and declined to comment when contacted by the Journal.
"I spoke to [Apple CEO Tim Cook], he's promised me three big plants -- big, big, big," Trump said, according to the report. "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's revelation comes after Cook during a May interview with CNBC announced that Apple was creating a $1 billion fund to boost "advanced manufacturing" in the U.S. Apple already committed $200 million of that fund to Gorilla Glass-maker Corning Incorporated.
Meanwhile, Trump has been pushing for this for a while now. In November, the then president-elect said he spoke with Cook and asked him to bring more of the company's manufacturing to the country. Trump said he promised Cook and other tech companies incentives for manufacturing stateside, including "a very large tax cut for corporations." According to Trump, Cook responded with "I understand that."
Steve Jobs in 2011 reportedly scoffed at the idea of bringing iPhone production to the U.S. when asked by President Barack Obama what it would take to make that happen. "Those jobs aren't coming back," Jobs said at the time.
The vast majority of Apple's products are assembled in China by Foxconn.
Trump on Tuesday also confirmed an earlier report that Foxconn is planning to build a plant in the U.S., according to the Journal. The newspaper on Sunday reported that Foxconn is "nearing a decision" to build a plant in Wisconsin where it will produce large-screen TV display panels.
