It is not just the $9.50 Donald Trump face masks that are made in China. The baseball caps with the new president’s slogan “Make America Great Again” turned out not manufactured in the U.S. but Asia, with most carrying the made-in-China label.
Besides China, some of the caps were manufactured in Vietnam and Bangladesh, New York Post reported. The daily noted the irony in the situation since Trump’s supporters heavily cheered his call to “buy American and hire American.”
Made Elsewhere
The report said some of his supporters – many of whom traveled from different states to attend the inaugural on Friday – were horrified upon learning their Trump caps were not made in the U.S. Actually, Trump caps sold on his official campaign website were manufactured in the U.S., according to the label inside, but it cost between $25 and $30.
However, those caps sold by street vendors in Washington on Friday for $20 are the ones made in Asia. In his speech, criticized as being protectionist, Trump emphasized, “From this moment on, it’s going to be America First. We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American.”
Outsourcing Explained
But American companies are outsourcing jobs in Asia primarily because of the lower cost of labor which makes them more competitive globally. According to The Balance, there are 14 million outsourced jobs which caused unemployment in the U.S. to double to 7.4 million. By penalizing companies that outsource, Trump hopes to bring back some of the jobs to the U.S. which could translate into 5.6 million part-time workers getting full-time jobs.
Bringing jobs back to the U.S. was one of the key promises of Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign. But forcing American companies to hire American workers would increase their cost because of higher wages, resulting in higher prices. Other companies could opt to move their entire operations overseas or close shop.