# Could Trump really be that stupid - force US companies to onshore manufacturing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 19, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552 "2016-01-19T04:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/21 "2016-01-20T23:54:40Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > Maybe. I’d imagine the shock to the United States economy of such protectionist policies would make it far less attractive. True. Bush did cut down on immigration by tanking the economy so badly the Mexicans no longer wanted to come. As for Apple moving, if this went through who knew what else he’d do. He might try to take over companies because after all Trump is so smart that he could run them better than their current CEOs. that’s only true for HP. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/22 "2016-01-21T16:43:04Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Trump wants to make US companies even _less_ competitive, apparently. “Competitive” with whom? AIUI, some of the [Middle American Radicals](http://www.nationaljournal.com/s/74221/return-middle-american-radical) who make up his base seem to think in terms of economic autarky or self-sufficiency – i.e., let American businesses manufacture in America for American markets, and don’t bother with exporting or importing. Thus, no need to compete with foreign companies at all. See [_Juche_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche). ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/23 "2016-01-21T16:59:07Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Not just Republicans think that trade tariffs and protectionism is a good thing (and not all Republicans do, since economic conservatives certainly wouldn’t think it’s a good idea). Many lefties and Dems also think this. It’s a populist position that resonates with folks who don’t understand why it’s such a bad idea…even seemingly intelligent folks think that protectionist measures and tariffs are good ideas that we should do. Protectionist measures are not so bad, its when other people respond with their own protectionism that it starts to suck. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/24 "2016-01-21T17:17:26Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > He graduated in 1968 with a B.S. in economics from the Whorton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. > > He has numerous businesses that operate internationally in areas including Real Estate, entertainment, retail. > > These are just the facts, interpret them as you will. I interpret them to mean that he knows what he says is bullshit and he’s a massive liar. As if that’s news. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/25 "2016-01-21T17:18:54Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Protectionist measures are not so bad, its when other people respond with their own protectionism that it starts to suck. Um, the immediate effect of this protectionist measure would be a massive cost increase for U.S. consumers for Apple, and many many other, products. Even if nobody retaliates, it would suck for us instantly. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/26 "2016-01-21T17:27:43Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Um, the immediate effect of this protectionist measure would be a massive cost increase for U.S. consumers for Apple, and many many other, products. Even if nobody retaliates, it would suck for us instantly. They’re Apple customers. They’ve been _asking_ for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/27 "2016-01-21T18:09:01Z")
First they came for Apple and I did not speak out because Apple sucks and they deserved it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/28 "2016-01-21T18:20:57Z")
Let me ask a piggyback question: I have read that China has a virtual monopoly on chip manufacture (though not design). Isn’t that a threat to national security, given how dependent our military and economy are on electronic equipment? If not, why not? Could we start making chips in large quantities here next week if China decided to embargo technology exports to the US? We can leave aside the fact that this would be economic suicide from a Chinese perspective. Assume that it’s 20 years from now and they could get by on trade with Europe and the rest of Asia or something. This question - and it is a question, not an argument disguised as one - should not be taken in any way as support for our potential future hairpiece-in-chief. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/29 "2016-01-21T18:33:09Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Trump isn’t that stupid. The Republican base is. > [@bobot](#): > > Donald trump doesn’t actually intend to do any damn thing that he says he intends to do. I think this is the key. Trump is saying anything that seems to work and doesn’t care if it makes sense. He figures if he can say anything and get away with it as a presidential candidate, he’ll be able to do the same as a President. The people who are dumb enough to vote for Donald Trump will be dumb enough to believe whatever excuses he offers. Trump isn’t going after the Republican base; he’s going after the idiot base. He’s hoping there are enough idiots out there and he can get them all moving in the same direction in order to get elected. And then afterwards he can ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/30 "2016-01-21T18:40:46Z")
@Really Not All That Bright: A look at the Wiki article on Intel’s manufacturing sites says they have 7 in the States, 1 in each Israel, Ireland and China. Maybe cheap chips are only done in China? Maybe they do most “assembling”? I seriously doubt the US military relies on China for this. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/31 "2016-01-21T18:41:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Let me ask a piggyback question: I have read that China has a virtual monopoly on chip manufacture (though not design). Isn’t that a threat to national security, given how dependent our military and economy are on electronic equipment? If not, why not? Could we start making chips in large quantities here next week if China decided to embargo technology exports to the US? I don’t think it’s true. There are plenty of large semi-conductor foundries outside China. Taiwan, I think, is still the largest producer, and the US still has a non-trivial number. And even if it were true, if China stopped selling them, I think you’d see something similar to what happened when they cut sales of heavy-metals a few years ago. The price went up for a few months while other countries had to rely on stockpiles and stuff already in the supply chain, and then went down again as non-Chinese production came online. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/32 "2016-01-21T18:46:13Z")
> **[Just Four Companies Will Produce The Microchips On Which The Global Economy...](https://www.businessinsider.com/just-four-companies-will-produce-the-microchips-on-which-the-global-economy-depends-2013-4)** Well if it were true it would be a bigger deal than that. These are very expensive and complicated plants. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/33 "2016-01-21T19:07:55Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > [Just Four Companies Will Produce the Microchips on Which the Global Economy Depends - Business Insider](http://www.businessinsider.com/just-four-companies-will-produce-the-microchips-on-which-the-global-economy-depends-2013-4) > Well if it were true it would be a bigger deal than that. These are very expensive and complicated plants. No doubt, but then, I can’t imagine a heavy metal mine is something you just slap together either. Google suggests its two years to build a fab-plant. But there’s already a ton of IC’s kicking around, so I think new production could start before the supply got really scarce. Which isn’t to say that it wouldn’t be disruptive, new celphones and laptops would probably be pretty unaffordable for a few years, but I doubt it would rise to the level of a threat to national security, as **RnatB** suggests. Especially now that most computers have gotten to the point where they have fairly long lifetimes. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/34 "2016-01-21T19:12:20Z")
Protectionism is sometimes a good idea and sometimes a bad idea, depending on times and circumstances. Check out [_Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism,_](http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Samaritans-Secret-History-Capitalism/dp/1596915986/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8) by South Korean economist [Ha-Joon Chang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-Joon_Chang). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552/35 "2016-01-22T02:35:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Just Apple, apparently, which kinda violates the Bill of Attainder clause. Is this the same Apple that is an Irish corporation and pays no US tax? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-trump-really-be-that-stupid-force-us-companies-to-onshore-manufacturing/743552.md?page=1)