When Donald Trump was running for president, he made a point out of catering his messaging to that of disenfranchised Americans who worried that their best days were behind them. After he won the required amount of electoral votes, Trump then went on to claim credit for keeping some of Ford’s manufacturing jobs in the United States; the problem was that Ford had never planned on leaving in the first place.
Trump’s handling of the Carrier air-conditioning company is similarly strange. The company has been threatening to leave Indiana and send more jobs down to Mexico, which would be devastating to the economy in Indiana.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump even tweeted out that he was working on the Carrier situation, but the truth seems to be somewhat different. Instead of piling on costs to the company, making it more difficult for them to move production to other countries, it appears Trump has now indicated that the company will be able to repatriate funds if they leave the U.S.—at a discounted rate. Instead of being penalized for leaving, they will enjoy lower costs.
Furthermore, it seems that his threat to impose tariffs on Mexican-made Carrier air-conditioners may have just been some hot air. Now that the Trump presidency is looming in the distance, he doesn’t seem to have the concerns of unemployed or underemployed workers on his mind. Instead, it seems as though Trump’s top priority is keeping the shareholders of large corporations happy.