Right on the second day of "Made in USA Week."
Trump pulled another new move.
The White House announced on the 18th local time that Trump was seeking ways to certify legitimate American goods to protect U.S.-made products while actively cracking down on imported items unfairly labeled as "Made in USA."
According to Reuters, a senior U.S. administration official stated in an interview that on Wednesday, Trump would discuss with small and medium-sized manufacturers how to certify products and prevent foreign counterfeits.
These products included drainage eliminators, flags, tableware, pillows, and more.
"Too many foreigners are slapping the 'Made in the USA' label on their products. The worst offenders even steal the product designs outright."
The official mentioned that the U.S. loses $300 billion annually due to intellectual property theft, from jeans to semiconductors.
The White House plans to collaborate with the private sector to establish a new certification and fact-checking system, rather than creating new regulations or spending taxpayer money to solve the issue. The official cited LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building certification system established by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000) as an example that could be used to assess environmental sustainability in the construction sector.
The report also noted that on Monday, Trump stated his administration would crack down on "predatory online sales of foreign goods" that harm U.S. retailers.
However, the U.S. media didn't seem to buy into Trump's narrative, labeling "Made in USA Week" as a hypocritical joke.
Trump himself was accused of double standards.
The Washington Post commented that if American production yields the best tech products, why doesn't the president's own company manufacture in the U.S.?
The Trump family businesses, including his daughter Ivanka's clothing company, depend on factories in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries to produce shoes, bags, shirts, dresses, and jeans.
Similarly, many items in Trump's own wardrobe and hotel furnishings are made in Bangladesh, and Mexico.
Even his luxury hotels are filled with foreign products, including bathrobes, slippers, towels, phones, coffee makers, and lamps.
The Washington Post said that when he criticizes U.S. companies for moving manufacturing abroad, he's essentially criticizing himself.
When questioned about why he manufactures overseas, Trump's answer was, "Everyone else does it."
According to the Washington Post, Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers union, expressed outrage, calling Trump a fraud.
"He's never done anything for anyone except himself. The steel in his buildings is from Ching Chong; he's never bought in bulk from us."
The AFL-CIO, America's largest labor organization (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), issued a report similarly condemning Trump.
"His decisions sacrifice American producers and their workers for the greater benefit of himself and his family."
At the White House "Made in USA Week" product exhibition, a media reporter asked whether the Trump family enterprises, including his daughter Ivanka's clothing company, which primarily rely on foreign production, would lead by example and relocate production back to the U.S.
White House spokesperson Spicer quickly responded, "We won't comment on specific business situations."
CBS commented: "For years, both Republicans and Democrats have strived to revitalize American industry. But the truth is, manufacturing never truly left the U.S.; only the job opportunities did. In terms of output, manufacturing remains the biggest contributor to the U.S. economy."
On the third day of "Made in USA Week."
Martin flew to Washington, preparing to lobby Trump and his advisory team.
He hoped the U.S. would shift manufacturing to Guinea as well, where labor was even cheaper than in Ching Chong.
"Our workforce is divided into two types: basic low-level workers—mainly handling mindless tasks like manual labor and simple assembly—mostly local and asian people, whose wages are practically negligible; the other type is skilled workers—handling jobs requiring technical expertise—mostly White and Black people, but given Guinea's low cost of living, their wages are also extremely low."
"I think relocating U.S. manufacturing to Guinea is a great way to cut costs."
"But I just said I want to keep manufacturing in the U.S. Doing this would make the public think I'm saying one thing and doing another." Trump seemed a bit worried.
Martin smiled and said, "To be honest, right now, U.S. manufacturing can't compete with Ching Chong, Japan, or South Korea in terms of quality or cost—especially Ching Chong, which has captured about 80% of the U.S. market for small commodities."
"I know, as an immigrant nation, the U.S. needs a strong external enemy to maintain cohesion, and right now we're in a honeymoon phase with Russia, so we have to position Ching Chong as the new U.S. adversary."
"However, your family business, Donald, has a lot of entangled interests with Ching Chong, creating an awkward situation. You're criticizing Ching Chong on one hand while using Ching Chong goods and doing business with them on the other. This undermines the persuasiveness of your words."
"So, why not move your own businesses to our Guinea, Donald? At least in manufacturing, Guinea is no worse than Ching Chongs, and labor is even cheaper."
Martin's words stirred something in Donald.
But the same issue remained.
"Guinea-made isn't U.S.-made; I still can't convince the public."
Martin smiled and said, "We can turn Guinea-made into U.S.-made. Right now, there are over 200,000 American workers in Guinea, and we'll continue to open up work visas and even immigration for Americans. Building factories in Guinea would be equivalent to creating more job opportunities for Americans, right? What's the difference from U.S.-made?"
"Ah, there is a difference: we're cheaper, allowing capitalists to reap even greater profits."
Trump muttered, "Yes, Guinea has over 200,000 American workers, but also an equal number of Asian workers—no, even more. I hear Asian people going to Guinea get visa-free entry, same treatment as Americans."
Martin smiled and said, "That's true, but the public doesn't need to know that. They just need to know we're providing more jobs for American workers. Don't worry, I'll handle the mainstream media, and you don't need to fret about the internet. As long as public opinion is overwhelmingly in our favor, the masses will be easily brainwashed. As for the few clear-headed ones, they can't change anything."
Trump was greatly swayed.
He opened his mouth and finally said, "I need to discuss this with my people. I'll give you a definite answer in three days."
"Fine."
Martin smiled as he stood up, withdrawing his magical influence at the same time.
He was confident Trump and his team would agree.