'US must relearn how to build ships, chips, machines': Donald Trump wants foreign help
“When foreign companies come into the United States with massive investments, I want them to bring their people of expertise… to teach and train our people how to make these very unique and complex products,” Trump wrote.
- Sep 15, 2025,
- Updated Sep 15, 2025 8:50 AM IST
US President Donald Trump has urged foreign companies investing in America to bring in expert personnel to train American workers, saying the country must “relearn” how to manufacture complex products like semiconductors, ships, and high-tech machinery.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump called for a bold new approach to foreign direct investment—one that includes not just capital but knowledge transfer.
“When foreign companies come into the United States with massive investments, I want them to bring their people of expertise… to teach and train our people how to make these very unique and complex products,” Trump wrote.
The president stressed that this temporary influx of foreign talent would help the US reclaim its industrial edge, especially in sectors where it has fallen behind. “We used to be great at it, but not anymore,” he said, citing shipbuilding as a prime example: “We used to build a ship a day. Now we barely build a ship a year.”
Trump added that encouraging foreign firms to bring their top engineers and technicians would not disincentivize investment—instead, it would make America more attractive. “We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them,” he said.
The comments come amid a broader push by the US government to revive domestic manufacturing, using tariffs and incentives to lure companies to build on American soil. Trump said firms—especially automakers from China, Mexico, and Canada—are already shifting operations to the US to avoid tariffs and benefit from protective policies.
“Thousands of companies are coming into the US… They want to build here because the tariffs are protecting them,” he said earlier this month.
US President Donald Trump has urged foreign companies investing in America to bring in expert personnel to train American workers, saying the country must “relearn” how to manufacture complex products like semiconductors, ships, and high-tech machinery.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump called for a bold new approach to foreign direct investment—one that includes not just capital but knowledge transfer.
“When foreign companies come into the United States with massive investments, I want them to bring their people of expertise… to teach and train our people how to make these very unique and complex products,” Trump wrote.
The president stressed that this temporary influx of foreign talent would help the US reclaim its industrial edge, especially in sectors where it has fallen behind. “We used to be great at it, but not anymore,” he said, citing shipbuilding as a prime example: “We used to build a ship a day. Now we barely build a ship a year.”
Trump added that encouraging foreign firms to bring their top engineers and technicians would not disincentivize investment—instead, it would make America more attractive. “We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them,” he said.
The comments come amid a broader push by the US government to revive domestic manufacturing, using tariffs and incentives to lure companies to build on American soil. Trump said firms—especially automakers from China, Mexico, and Canada—are already shifting operations to the US to avoid tariffs and benefit from protective policies.
“Thousands of companies are coming into the US… They want to build here because the tariffs are protecting them,” he said earlier this month.