President Donald Trump may have some mixed feelings about Wisconsin. On Thursday, Foxconn’s $10 billion investment broke ground in answer to Trump’s call to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. But just days ago, the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson (HOG) announced its plans to move the production of motorcycles bound for Europe out of the U.S. as a result of new Trump-imposed tariffs.
After repeatedly taking on Harley-Davidson on Twitter, Trump continued to mention the motorcycle maker’s production move when he spoke at Foxconn on Thursday. Halfway through a speech about Foxconn’s investment, he used the opportunity to troll Harley-Davidson, implying the company didn’t realize the benefits brought by his administration’s tax cuts.
“Don’t get cute with us. Don’t get cute. They don’t realize the tax is coming way down,” Trump said on stage. Then he told the 100-year-old motorcycle brand, “Build them in the U.S.A. Your customers won’t be happy if you don’t.”
Since his campaign, Trump has been vocal about bringing jobs back to the U.S. and has vowed to support products “made in the U.S.” He has also made apparent attempts to rile up the public about Harley-Davidson.
“Their employees and customers are already very angry at them. If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end – they surrendered, they quit! … They will be taxed like never before!” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Last July, the administration launched a “Made in America” week to attract manufacturers to set up factories and encourage consumers to buy products made in the U.S. But it has drawn some criticism about why products sold by Trump’s companies or those of his daughter Ivanka Trump are still made overseas.
In a Reuters-Ipsos poll last year, 32% of consumers said making sure something is made in the United States is “very important” to them, while the majority cited price as the deciding factor when they shop.
Krystal Hu covers technology and economy for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
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