Trump hails ‘great news’ that Foxconn factory back on track

President Donald Trump on Friday cheered the “great news” that Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn said it was going ahead with plans for a major factory in Wisconsin. The company announced that following a conversation between Trump and Foxconn chief Terry Gou it was “moving forward with our planned construction of a Gen 6 fab facility.”

It was a reversal from news earlier this week that the company was scaling back its plans to open a factory and create manufacturing jobs. “Great news on Foxconn in Wisconsin after my conversation with Terry Gou!” Trump tweeted. The reports that plans were being scaled back were a blow to the administration since Trump had publicly claimed credit for the investment, which was backed by $4 billion in controversial local tax breaks.

Foxconn, which makes devices and components for a host of major tech firms including Apple, had planned to build a factory producing LCD flat screen televisions and create around 13,000 jobs. Trump bragged about the plan and appeared alongside Gou at a groundbreaking ceremony last summer wielding golden shovels.