Trump threatens firms with ‘consequences’ if they send jobs abroad

WASHINGTON: Having run and won on the promise of keeping American jobs home, president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday threatened US companies relocating operations and jobs abroad with “consequences” — essentially a higher duty on their products.

“Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences,” Trump told workers at a plant in Indiana.

“These companies aren't going to be leaving anymore. They aren't going to be taking people's hearts out.”

The plant whose workers Trump was addressing belongs to Carrier, a manufacturer of air conditioners and furnaces, which became a target for his attacks on companies taking American jobs abroad.

Carrier has announced it will keep 1,000 jobs in the US, in a deal negotiated with authorities.

Though details of the agreement remain sparse, Trump is touting it as the kind of dealmaking he had promised.

“Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not gonna happen.”

Indiana is vice president Mike Pence’s state.

Local authorities have since announced $7 million in economic incentives over the next few years — not exactly the kind of heavy hand Trump had threatened on his campaign trail. He had then spoken of levying a 35% import duty on Carrier products entering the US.

But the deal came under fierce attack immediately.

“He has signalled to every corporation in America that they can threaten offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives,” said Senator Bernie Sanders after it was announced.