Donald Trump's assertions that U.S. manufacturing problems boil down to being ripped off by countries like China, Japan and Mexico is "a little too short of an answer," Deere & Co. Chairman and CEO Sam Allen said Friday.
"There's a lot, a lot of things that go into our jobs situation. There's a lot of policies that have very long-term impacts," he told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." "The more that we can change those policies that are favorable for manufacturing, it clearly is a positive."
Allen spoke from a meeting in Washington of the Council for Competitiveness, a nonpartisan group of U.S. business, labor and university leaders.
In his front-running bid for the GOP presidential nomination, Trump has largely framed his trade policy in terms of business negotiations, often singling out China.
He has threatened to slap Chinese goods with tariffs as high as 45 percent if the country does not allow American companies free and fair access to its domestic market. The tariffs would be wielded as a negotiating tool, but are not a foregone conclusion, Trump has said.
"I don't think solving this problem is as easy as just saying we're going to have to get a better deal with a country," Allen said. "We're all connected, and we're going to have to get some long-lasting polices that reinforce the need, and … stimulate the growth in manufacturing."
Last month, Trump said he would only want to use Deere or Caterpillar equipment for the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, one of his most polarizing proposals.
Asked if Deere would help Trump build the wall, Allen said, "I would put it this way. If you're asking would I help, the answer is no. If the government wants to buy John Deere equipment, we'd love to have that happen."