In 2017 then-President Donald Trump announced that the $10 billion (£7.2bn) factory that Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn was set to build in Wisconsin would be the new "eighth wonder of the world". However, the megaproject hasn't lived up to those high expectations. Trump (pictured at the site's groundbreaking in 2018 with then-Wisconsin governor Scott Walker [left] and then-Foxconn CEO Terry Gou [right]) boasted that the 20 million-square-foot factory, building cutting-edge, flat-screen displays for TVs and other devices, would revitalise US manufacturing and create 13,000 jobs.
However, in April last year Foxconn confirmed that its investment in the Wisconsin plant has been reduced to just $672 million (£483m), with only 1,454 jobs being created. This was after US taxpayer money had been spent on the site, with the village where the factory is located spending $152 million (£109m) on buying up 132 properties to make space for the project, $7.9 million (£5.7m) to relocate residents, and $200 million (£144m) on improving roads and tax exemptions to local governments offering job training, according to records uncovered by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Current Wisconsin governor Tony Evers was quick to point out that the revised deal will save taxpayers $2.77 billion (£1.99bn). However, Foxconn could still receive $80 million (£57m) in tax credits over the next six years if it hits certain milestones on employment and investment.