Trump Accuses Previous U.S. Administrations of Losing Semiconductor Industry to Taiwan

Donald Trump has once again addressed the issue of the U.S. losing its dominance in the semiconductor industry, this time blaming previous administrations for allowing Taiwan to take control of the market. Trump claims that the U.S. will recover “a big portion” of this sector, pointing to the expansion of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) in the United States as the beginning of this effort.

Trump’s Remarks on the Industry Loss

Trump’s remarks echo his usual blunt style as he referenced Intel’s former CEO, Andy Grove, stating, “We had Intel, and it was managed by a smart and strong man named Andy Grove. And then he died, and then there were series of people who didn’t know what they were doing and gradually lost the chip business. Now it’s almost exclusively in Taiwan. They stole it from us, took it from us.

Interestingly, Trump didn’t blame Taiwan for the shift. Instead, he directed his criticism at the previous U.S. administrations, saying, “I don’t blame them, I give them credit. I blame the people who were sitting in this seat, and they allowed it to happen. We will be taking back a big portion of the industry.”

U.S. Plans to Regain Semiconductor Dominance

Trump’s comments are part of a larger strategy to bring the semiconductor industry back to the United States. Last year, TSMC made a significant investment of $165 billion to build five advanced manufacturing facilities in Arizona. The company also plans to set up a new research center.

Meanwhile, American companies like Intel are receiving unprecedented political support to help reclaim the sector.

However, can the U.S. truly regain its leadership in semiconductors? Despite the clear intentions from the Trump administration, moving supply chains from Taiwan to the U.S. won’t be an easy task. It will require substantial financial investment to build new factories, transfer technology from Taiwan (which Taiwan is not keen on), and the time it takes to establish local infrastructure and supply chains, which could take a decade or more.