Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, said Thursday that Apple has benefited from Chinese slave labor and that "it’s pretty sick."
Vance made his comments on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” during a conversation on taxing companies that rely on manufacturing in China.
"Do I think Apple is an evil company? No," Vance said. "Do I think that sometimes they benefit from Chinese slave labor? Yeah, and that’s pretty sick. I think that a company that wants to benefit from American markets should also have to pay American workers a fair wage."
Vance didn’t offer evidence of the claim.
The company has historically relied on China for building its products such as iPhones and iPads, but also partners with manufacturers that build its devices overseas. As relations between the U.S. and China have become strained, Apple has diversified its supply chain by expanding manufacturing to countries like India, where $14 billion worth of iPhones were produced over the last fiscal year, and Vietnam, according to CNBC.
In June 2021, Democrat leaders on the Congressional Executive Commission on China, urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to transparently engage with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure that Apple’s supply chains are free of forced labor and to divest from Chinese suppliers who take part in the Chinese government’s labor transfer programs, particularly from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The committee’s chair and co-chair at the time — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., respectively — said in a statement, "despite persistent assurances from Apple that their supply chains were free of forced labor, we now have evidence that it is tainted."
In a 2022 directive titled "Efforts to Combat Modern Slavery in Our Business and Supply Chains," Apple stated the directive reflects its "ongoing efforts to identify, mitigate, prevent, and remedy human trafficking, slavery, servitude, or forced, compulsory, or involuntary labor, as well as, underage labor [as defined by International Labour Organization standards, including the Minimum Age Convention and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention] in our supply chain and our own operations."
Newsmax reached out to Apple for comment.
Vance also told CNBC that he favors raising tariffs on companies "shipping jobs overseas." Trump has threatened additional tariffs of 60% to 100% on goods from China and blanket tariffs of 10% to 20% on imported goods, according to CNBC. Vance also expressed support for Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan’s antitrust crackdown and stricter rules on mergers.
"When you have companies like Facebook and Google censoring American citizens, making it harder for Americans to speak in their own political process, that is a major problem," Vance said. "And yeah, I do think that there should be an antitrust solution to it."