Looks like the Democratic presidential candidate won’t be letting up on the issue anytime soon.
While Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to court controversy on the campaign trail, Democrat Hillary Clinton is largely sticking to the script.
And that includes attacking Trump for his long history of manufacturing his own products overseas.
At a campaign stop in Denver on Wednesday, Clinton once again took a shot at Trump’s own campaign slogan, arguing that if Trump wants to make America great again “he could start by actually making things in America again.”
To hammer the point home, Clinton visited Denver’s Knotty Tie Co., which makes neckties, scarves, and other accessories, to highlight the fact that Made in America companies are indeed manufacturing the kinds of things sold by the Trump clothing line.
That’s not all: The Clinton campaign also put together “Made in America: A Buyer’s Guide For Donald Trump,” a pretty darn comprehensive list of American manufacturers that make ties, suits and shirts, furniture and frames, and barware — the types of products sold by Trump that he manufacturers overseas.
The campaign explains:
“Despite his repeated claim and desire to put ‘America First,’ time and time again Donald Trump has told us he has to manufacture his products abroad. He says ‘it’s very hard to have apparel made in this country’ or that ‘they don’t even make the stuff here. It’s so hard go get.’ No, Donald. Just no.”
In fairness, not everything The Donald makes is manufactured overseas.
PolitiFact recently critiqued the Clinton camp for pushing the issue, noting that while “many of his products have been made overseas, some are made in America.” That includes his line of suits, some of which are actually Made in America. Trump-brand wine also is made here, and some of his campaign memorabilia is as well.
Still, there is no doubt that A LOT of what Trump sells is made outside the United States, and that’s something we here at the Alliance for American Manufacturing encourage him to change.
We’re a nonpartisan institution. As such, we aren’t taking a side in the presidential contest. In fact, we’re encouraged that both presidential candidates are finally looking at what is happening in manufacturing communities across the country and taking a more skeptical view of trade than we’ve seen in previous campaign cycles.
But Trump can — and should — do more. After all, The Donald talks a big game about the perils of trade, especially the millions of manufacturing jobs lost to nations like China. It’s time for him to walk the walk, too.