A paradigm shift is needed, especially in how young people perceive college degrees and manufacturing jobs, Eric Trump told The Epoch Times.
Eric Trump said a recent visit to the bustling floor of a Ford Motor Company plant reinforced a long-held belief about the unique strength of America.
“I’m walking these lines as F-150s are being produced. Every 57 seconds, another F-150 comes off the assembly line of the plant,” Eric Trump said in an interview with “American Thought Leaders” host Jan Jekielek, aired on June 28.
“And the only thing I can think of is that America can do it better than China. America can do it better than Asia. America can do it better than all these places,” said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization and the son of President Donald Trump.
Eric Trump said that although China boasts a big economy and a far larger population, the United States is still far more productive.
“Our productivity is not only greater, but it’s greater in terms of productivity per person,“ Eric Trump said. ”It’s like five times in America. We do it better than anybody in the world.”
He said the factory visit reminded him of the extraordinary potential of U.S. workers if they are equipped with the right tools, training, and opportunity.
“We’ve got the best system,“ he said. ”We’ve got the best country. We’re the best innovators. We’re shooting rockets into outer space. We’re catching them with chopsticks right now.”
However, Eric Trump acknowledged that decades of offshoring have come at a cost. As manufacturing moved overseas, the United States lost not only factories, but also many skills and the know-how that had once made it a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Hands-On Lessons
Eric Trump’s belief in revitalizing U.S. manufacturing is shaped by his early, hands-on experience.
“I was on construction jobs at the age of 11, making minimum wages, working for stonemasons, working for electricians,” he said.
“I spent an entire summer cutting rebar with an acetylene torch. I can run any backhoe, any excavator. I spent every summer of my life doing that. I have calluses on my hands that prove it.”