Trump is betting on North Carolina with a $1.5 billion investment to manufacture semiconductors and thus break the state's dependence on Taiwan

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the Department of Commerce will make a massive investment in semiconductor production in North Carolina, in what represents a clear effort by his administration to fulfill its promise to bring essential manufacturing operations back to the United States and thereby break the country's dependence on Taiwan. The Republican president also announced Sibelco's plans to build a large manufacturing plant in the state and invited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to join him on stage to explain the project.

"The Department of War will be investing $1.5 billion dollars to produce cutting-edge semiconductor chips right here in North Carolina," Trump said during a midterm election campaign rally held in Greenville, where he also asserted that companies are allocating unprecedented resources to manufacturing in the United States. The Republican president attributed this trend to his administration's trade policies and its efforts to incentivize companies to move their production to the United States.

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A few seconds later, Lutnick took the floor and explained: "So, the president had as one of his fundamental objectives was to bring semiconductor manufacturing home to America, right? It’s all made in Taiwan, right? And that’s just too far away for America. So he’s bringing it home. "Although the secretary did not offer many details about the project, he explained that the plant would focus on the production of quartz, a material essential for semiconductor manufacturing. "It's basically the foundation of semiconductors, and they're going to build it right here in North Carolina," he said.

The announcements took place as part of an election campaign in which Trump has already promised significant investments. The most recent one occurred in Kentucky, where the Republican president promoted his economic agenda and its benefits for the state: "Thanks to tariffs ... $2 billion is being invested by Ford in the Louisville Assembly Plant, creating more than 4,000 Kentucky jobs. And just last month, GE Appliances announced a brand new $1 billion investment to expand its manufacturing in Kentucky, creating 5,712 jobs."