Economist: Trump Does Not Get Manufacturing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Economist Chris Butler questioned Donald Trump's comprehension of manufacturing and the economy following Thursday night's town hall forum in which the presidential candidate was critical of companies for moving jobs overseas and promised to stop it if he is elected.
Butler, while talking with Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, said Trump does not understand the motivation of businesses that create products for consumption.
"I don't think he knows anything about it. Further, I think that if you follow his line of rationale when he talks about the outsourcing of jobs etc, it 's really hard to see the guy as a conservative because what I hear him saying, the government is the answer. I don't like conservatives to bring up government as the answer at every opportunity."
He explained why a company would choose to relocate and questioned whether Trump could ever grasp their motivations.
"It's not just because they can save on labor. Think about it. They have left because they have found doing business in another country is more attractive than doing it in the United States. That's more than just wage rates. That has a lot to do with tax code, the legal environment, the availability of certain kinds of labor. That really should be the subject of a conversation with Donald Trump. Why Donald, do you think these companies are moving away from the United States? Let's drill down on that and see exactly what they hate."