This series, titled Trump Dump, features outlandish, untrue quotes from Donald Trump, MAGA supporters, and Right Wing media. If you come across a quote for this series, please send it to me with a link to the news story that contains the relevant quote.
It’s time to train people not to do the jobs of the past, but to do the great [factory] jobs of the future. This is the new model where you work in these kinds of plants for the rest of your life, and your kids work here, and your grandkids work here. We let the auto plants go overseas.
These [manufacturing jobs] are really good paying jobs, they start at $70s, $80s, $90,000 [a year]. These are tradecraft. It’s time to train people not to do the jobs of the past, but to do the great jobs of the future. This is the new model, where you work in these kinds of plants for the rest of your life, and your kids work here, and your grandkids work here.
We are inventing everything in the world, but we’re letting everyone else build it. We invent the iPhone, which is awesome. Why do we let everyone else build it? Why can’t we build it here? The key is AI and automation have made that in reach. I understand why you need zillions of other people to work on it, but it’s time now, can automation build that plant here? Where we can employ, we don’t need millions of Americans to do it, we need hundreds of thousands of Americans to work in those factories, and I think we’re going to create 5 million great tradecraft jobs in America.
— Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, as reported by 404 Media.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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HowWeird Nutlick wouldn’t last one goddamn day doing a real job. Someone needs to tell him to STFU.
What an asshole.
Sigh Lutnick, I don’t see you working in the factory where your dad or mom worked, bringing your offspring to work in the sane factory. I bet if you have offspring that they attended elite universities and do not work in factories. Also, I bet you think YOUR children shouldn’t work in factories, just other people’s families should work there. Do you actually know people whose greatest aspiration is for their children, grand children, and great-grandchildren shouldn’t work exclusively in factories?
The future of some manufacturing is robotics, but there are still aspects of certain manufacturing that require human labor. Not all factory jobs are equal.
When I was about 11. my father brought me and my brother to the factory where he worked at the time. After he and some co-workers showed us around, we had lunch. Looking at me and my brother, my father said, “This factory probably won’t be here when you’re old enough to work in it.” He was right.
He’s confusing manufacturing with sweatshops. Some manufacturers also assemble, but it’s not the same thing, especially when you’re talking large scale. Also, some manufacturing jobs pay very well, but you need solid skill sets. Many, many openings are going unfilled due to the baby boomers retiring and taking their knowledge with them. Some companies set up their own apprenticeship programs, which is great, but those are few and far between. The problem is, even if we suddenly say we’ll start manufacturing everything in America tomorrow, we DO NOT HAVE THE WORKERS TO DO IT. Even with AI and robotics. Also, the idiotic tariffs are still on for Chinese aluminum and steel (cheap yes, but used for less precise components and makes it affordable for small shops). We also import the majority of robots so…yep still have tariffs. These idiots have no idea what they’re doing.