Tim Cook on Trump’s Apple Factories Statement: Let’s Talk About Something Else

Foxconn plans first U.S. factory for Wisconsin

Ask Tim Cook about Donald Trump saying three Apple factories are going to be built in the United States and you’ll get an answer, but not to that question. That’s what happened when Apple’s CEO was asked that very question during the company’s third fiscal quarter earnings report on Tuesday.

Foxconn plans first U.S. factory for Wisconsin
Tim Cook doesn’t want to talk about Donald Trump saying Apple is building three factories in the U.S.

Here’s what Mr. Trump said in late July:

I spoke to [Mr. Cook], he’s promised me three big plants—big, big, big. 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.

Apple hasn’t publicly talked about building three factories in the U.S., and the only word anyone has heard about the facilities has come from Mr. Trump. So analysts asked about that specifically during the earnings conference call.

Mr. Cook replied,

Let me just take this question from a what are we doing to increase jobs standpoint, which I believe is where it’s rooted. We created 2 million jobs in the U.S. We do view that we have a responsibility to increase economic activity in the United States, including creating jobs, because Apple could only have been created here.

He added that Apple is looking at how in can increase the services and supplies it purchases in the U.S.

Mr. Cook’s answer wasn’t an answer at all, which sometimes is an answer, too. What we know for certain is that Mr. Trump said Apple is building three manufacturing facilities in the U.S., and Mr. Cook isn’t going to confirm or deny that.

It’s possible Apple is building the three factories and just doesn’t want to talk about the plans yet. Or maybe there aren’t any factories planned and Mr. Cook didn’t want to directly contradict the statement. It’s also possible the truth is somewhere in the middle and Apple isn’t ready to spill the beans yet.

There’s also the possibility that Mr. Trump confused Foxconn’s television LCD panel factory that’s coming to Wisconsin with an Apple factory.

In the end what we know for sure is that Mr. Trump said Apple is building three factories in the U.S., Mr. Cook doesn’t want to talk about that statement, and Foxconn is building a factory that won’t be making anything for Apple.

5 thoughts on “Tim Cook on Trump’s Apple Factories Statement: Let’s Talk About Something Else

  • Trump: “I spoke to [Mr. Cook], he’s promised me three big plants—big, big, big.”

    Trump can’t seem to stop himself from lying… Ever!

    Donald, in Apple’s more than 40 year history, the company has NEVER owned or run its own plants. Apple is not in the business of owning factories, and it is not going to start now to open three “big, big, big” plants, just because you can create a “big, big, big” lie about it. The only person you are convincing with that hallucination is yourself.

    1. And Silicon Valley never lies or behaves badly, huh? I personally think Cook and Trump are a match made in heaven, they are two sides of the same coin. Heck, together, they have pretty much all bases covered for total exploitation and profit of pretty much everyone. If their particular dubious ethics aligned, there would be no story here. Both of them can jump in a lake, as far as I’m concerned.

      1. Oh, come on! Anyone who equates Tim Cook with Donald Trump doesn’t understand corporate leadership, Apple’s history, and Cook’s stewardship, including working on fair labor practices, environmentally-friendly machines, and gay rights. And, clearly, is someone out of touch with what has happened politically over the past year and with who Trump is, his law breaking, obstruction of justice, financial misdeeds, bankruptcies, mismanagement, divorces, assaults, serial lying, falsehoods, etc.

        This is almost as bad as equating Gandhi with Al Capone! Note: not that Cook is Gandhi or Trump is Capone, but they are much closer to their matches than they are to each other!

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