Jan 18, 2017 - Politics & Policy

The reality on Trump's claim about Apple bringing back jobs

Kim Hart, author of Cities

Apple CEO Tim Cook will move iPhone production back to the U.S. because he sees it as the right thing to do, the president-elect said in an interview with Axios.

"I really believe he loves this country and I think he'd like to do something major here. And I told him, I said, 'Tim, it's going to be a big achievement the day you start building some of your big plants in this country instead of other countries.' And I think he's got his eyes open to it. I think he's got his eyes open to it." — Donald Trump

The reality: With the exception of some computers made in the U.S. and Ireland, nearly all of Apple's hardware products are made by outsourcing partners in Asia. Apple reportedly asked its Chinese suppliers what it would take to relocate production of the iPhone stateside, but cost is the biggest barrier. Apple has also long said that it has better access to skilled workers in China. And building the iPhone here would lead to higher prices for consumers.

De ja vu: Trump isn't the first president to ask Apple to bring jobs back to American soil. When President Obama asked how it could be done back in 2010, Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs said bluntly, "Those jobs aren't coming back."

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