Singapore, China, India targeted by Trump as job stealers from the United States

Singapore managed to escape the churlish vitriol of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the past few months of campaigning — but alas, it wasn’t too long before his orange gaze came swivelling towards us. Had to happen eventually. 

Addressing his supporters in Tampa, Florida two days ago, the demagogic firebrand stated that Americans are living through the “greatest jobs theft” in the history of the world, and its countries like India, China, Mexico and Singapore that are to blame. 

“Goodrich Lighting Systems laid off 255 workers and moved their jobs to India. Baxter Health Care Corporation laid off 199 workers and moved their jobs to Singapore. Essilor Laboratories laid off 181 workers and moved their jobs, surprise, to Mexico. It’s getting worse and worse and worse,” he said. 

As per usual, he peppered his speech with accusations that the government and its politicians are corrupt and stupid, accompanied with promises to bring back American businesses, Press Trust of India reports. 

“We’re the highest taxed nation in the world, one of the main reasons that they’re leaving,” he said. Nope, that honour falls on Aruba, with its 58.95 percent income tax rate. Unless he’s referring to corporate income tax — and even so, its the United Arab Emirates that has the highest rates, followed by Puerto Rico.  

Vowing to shut down the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), he claims that it was a disaster in the making — and one that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton lauded as “the gold standard”.

“Yeah, it’s the gold standard for other countries, not for us. The gold standard for the countries that want to be part of that deal.”

The TPP trade agreement however is something that Singapore strongly believes in, and one that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Obama made a strong pitch for at the White House in August. 

With the presidential race in the United States reaching its final few hours, we’ll know who will be taking over the most powerful position in the world soon. Granted, it’s an easy choice between choosing a racist, sexist, childish, bullying authoritarian and a highly competent politician who doesn’t email properly.