The White House struggled to answer questions about the Trump family's record on manufacturing their products overseas. Washington Post's Matea Gold told the PBS news that the Ivanka Trump brand, owned by the first daughter, made clothes and handmade shoes in an array of overseas factories. "We traced her current line of products to five specific countries – Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam," she said. Gold cited 2013 customs records showing some of Ivanka's shoes were made in Ethiopia. "The brand told us that while they would like to bring manufacturing back to the US, they do not feel like it is really possible to do in a large-scale fashion," she added. The issue was raised at the daily White House press briefing. One of the reporters questioned Trump's launching of the "Made in America" campaign, pointing out that he had shirts made in China, Bangladesh and India. "The president's been a very successful businessman on a number of fronts, on a number of area and industries, and to understand very first hand what the tax burden, what the regulatory burden do to a business that wants to grow or expand here or hire here," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. "So I think he actually in a very unique way understands the challenges that our regulatory system and our tax system put on businesses that want to hire here, that want to grow here," he added. On Monday, the White House said: "President Trump knows that America first means putting American workers first." Trump had been criticised in the past for hiring foreign workers for his Mar-a-Lago resort. A CNN report pointed out that since 2000, Trump businesses received 1,024 H-2B visas – temporary permission to fill non-agricultural jobs with foreign workers – for hiring waiters, kitchen, and housekeeping staff. During the "Made in America" week, Trump authorised an additional 15,000 worker visas for foreign employees for unskilled jobs, The Independent reported.Trump's D.C. hotel sells clothes made in China, Vietnam, Peru, Bangladesh & Pakistan during WH Made in America™ week https://t.co/GzzOaWDrCF
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 17, 2017
As Donald Trump opened a weeklong "Made in America" campaign to promote products manufactured in the US, his critics were quick to point out his hypocrisy and long track record of outsourcing manufacturing of many of his goods to countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam.
The weeklong campaign beginning with a "Made in America product showcase" featured items manufactured in each of the 50 US states.
Trump campaigned on reviving the US manufacturing sector and promised on Monday to take more legal and regulatory steps to protect American manufacturers.
During inauguration, he emphasised protecting "our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs" by following two simple rules – "Buy American and hire American".
But as a businessman seldom did he abide by this. Even his trademark campaign caps "Make America Great Again" were made in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
His family businesses outsourced the manufacturing of their clothing, alcohol, homeware, and boardgame, among others, to countries that offer cheap labour.
"Trump's D.C. hotel sells clothes made in China, Vietnam, Peru, Bangladesh & Pakistan during WH Made in America™ week," tweeted Bradd Jaffy, senior news editor at NBC Nightly News, as the president launched made in America week on Monday.
