Maggie Haberman Grills Trump Spox Karoline Leavitt Over Claim iPhones Will Be Made In America

CNN commentator and New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman grilled White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt over whether President Donald Trump believes iPhone manufacturing will shift to the United States.

Over the weekend, Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan that “we are going to replace the armies of millions of people – well, remember, the army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America.”

“It’s going to be automated. And great Americans, the tradecraft of America, is going to fix them, is going to work on them. They’re going to be mechanics. There’s going to be HVAC specialists. There’s going to be electricians,” Lutnick said.

At Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Haberman asked Leavitt if Trump agrees with Lutnick:

MAGGIE HABERMAN: Karoline, thanks.

Does the president endorse something that Howard Lutnick said on television this weekend, which was that the army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little screws to make iPhones, that that kind of thing is going to be moving to the U.S.? Is that how the president envisions manufacturing shifting?

And, if so, how long would that take roughly?

LEAVITT: The president wants to increase manufacturing jobs here in the United States of America, but he’s also looking at advanced technologies. He’s also looking at A.I. and emerging fields that are growing around the world that the United States needs to be a leader in as well.

So there’s an array of diverse jobs, more traditional manufacturing jobs, as you discussed, but also jobs in advanced technologies. The president is looking at all of those. He wants them to come back home.

MAGGIE HABERMAN: But iPhones specifically, is that something that he thinks is the kind of technology that can move to the U.S.?

LEAVITT: Absolutely. He believes we have the labor, we have the work force, we have the resources to do it. And, as you know, Apple has invested $500 billion here in the United States. So if Apple didn’t think the United States could do it, they probably wouldn’t have put up that big chunk of change.

Watch above via The White House.