Last week we reported that Apple’s spending on lobbying has risen to record highs since Trump took office. Now there is news that President Trump’s lobbying of his own – to get Apple to bring manufacturing stateside – has been successful…at least according to Trump.

In an interview with the WSJ, President Trump said that Tim Cook has “promised” to build three manufacturing plants in the U.S.

“I spoke to [Mr. Cook], he’s promised me three big plants—big, big, big,” Mr. Trump said as part of a discussion about business-tax reform and business investment. “I said you know, Tim, unless you start building your plants in this country, I won’t consider my administration an economic success. He called me, and he said they are going forward.”

Trump didn’t share details about the timeline or where the supposed plants would be located and Apple declined to comment on the matter to the WSJ.

Trump first made the statement that “we’re gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries” in January of 2016. He then told Cook the same directly in November of last year along with mentioning incentives.

However, since Trump took office there hasn’t been any real movement or news, except for a vague statement from Trump that Cook has his “eyes open” to U.S. assembled iPhones.

While many are skeptical of such a plan (it’s possible the three plants have already been in the works or indirectly related to Apple), Milwaukee Business Journal reported earlier today that Foxconn may announce news tomorrow about a deal helped by the biggest tax incentives ever offered by Wisconsin.

Breaking: Exclusive first look at Apple's three promised plants. Huge. pic.twitter.com/nViqokXJ2U — M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) July 25, 2017

Comment: Is Trump’s claim about Apple building new plants all hype?

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