Trump tours Apple factory in Austin, calls it ‘beginning of a very powerful plant’
President Donald Trump toured an Apple manufacturing plant Wednesday afternoon in Austin as dozens of his supporters and protesters made their voices heard outside.
Trump was greeted at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton before touring the plant with Apple CEO Tim Cook. The president was shown components of the Mac Pros as he spoke with assembly line workers.
Cook, a member of the Trump administration’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, signed the administration’s Pledge to America’s Workers last year, committing to providing 10,000 new training opportunities for U.S. students and workers.
Trump said the factory was the “beginning of a very powerful plant,” and Cook said he was grateful for the administration’s support, according to pool reports.
After Trump’s visit, he later wrote on Twitter that he opened “a major Apple Manufacturing plant.” And while Apple has been steadily expanding in Austin and construction is underway on a new campus that will initially house 5,000 employees, the manufacturing plant Trump visited has been making Mac Pro computers since 2013.
From the South Lawn of the White House ahead of his departure from D.C., the president touted Apple’s new facility, and referenced the company’s recent exemption from tariffs, allowing it to import parts from China for the new Mac Pro.
“Apple is opening up a fantastic facility,” Trump said. “They’re spending a tremendous amount of money. And I’ve been asking Tim Cook from the day I got elected, if they would, we want to see Apple build here; that way, you have no tariffs. There’s no tariffs. When companies come to our country and they build, there’s no tariffs.”
Meanwhile, supporters and protesters gathered outside of the Apple plant.
Cat Harv, a lifelong registered Republican who has recently voted for Democrats, said she feels the Republican Party has changed and become more “brutal” and “strident.”
“Maybe it’s both, I’ve changed too,” said Harv, who has been watching the public hearings in the House’s impeachment inquiry.
But for Harv, this was the first time she had come to a demonstration, which she didn’t learn about until midnight. Harv stressed that one person’s voice can add to a growing chorus.
“Once you get together with other like-minded people, that’s when your power increases. That takes just a bunch of individuals to make that happen,” Harv said.
Some supporters of Trump said they felt it was important to show up to counter protesters.
“We want him to know that we’re out there for him,” said Dee Burke, who said she skipped work to attend Wednesday’s demonstration. “We can’t sit back. We’ve got to fight for him and let people know what he’s doing.”
For Burke, Sandy Ramirez and Marina Youngblood, the economy, availability of jobs and Trump’s stance on border security show the president’s understanding of what Texans are asking for.
“All this time wasted right now with the impeachment and hearing is a bunch of malarkey. Congress hasn’t gone and done their job,” Ramirez said. “He’s in office. Let him do his job. Congress go back to where you came from. Do what you need to do.”
While demonstrators on both sides lamented the divisions they feel exist, there was one thing they both agreed on: for people to get out and vote in the 2020 election.
“I do hope people who maybe were apathetic before will come out and vote,” Harv said.
Ahead of Trump’s arrival, the Texas Democratic Party held a roundtable with state lawmakers, Austin Mayor Steve Adler and teachers, construction workers and others to highlight how Trump’s economic policies have hurt them.
“Our cities are incubators of innovation, and they are economic engines. And rather than supporting cities and counties that are working to help train workforces and give people opportunity, it appears as if our state and our federal government and this president have declared war on cities,” Adler said.
Trump’s visit to Austin comes a month after he visited the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a rally, fundraiser and tour of a new Louis Vuitton factory.
A University of Texas at Tyler poll released Monday found that Texans were split in their view of Trump. Of the Texas voters surveyed, 49% said they disapproved with the way Trump was handling his job as president, while 43.3% approved and 7.7% didn’t know how they felt.
Broken down along party lines, 81.5% of those who approved of Trump’s performance were Republican, while 86.5% who disapproved were Democrats.
Asked if they believe whether Trump should be impeached, 44.8% said yes, 46.9% said he should not and 8.2% were neutral. Similarly, a majority of respondents who believe Trump should be impeached were Democrats, while a majority who felt he should not be were Republicans.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 2:58 PM.
