Trump claims to save auto plant; But it wasn’t closing
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Sept. 30 photo, United Auto Workers assemble a 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty truck at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky.
DETROIT >> President-elect Donald Trump claimed Thursday that he convinced the chairman of Ford Motor Co. not to move an assembly plant from Kentucky to Mexico. But Ford never intended to move the plant, just production of one of the vehicles it makes.
Trump said in a tweet that Bill Ford, the company’s executive chairman, telephoned him with the news that a “Lincoln plant” would stay in Louisville. Instead Ford decided to keep production of the Lincoln MKC small SUV at the Louisville Assembly Plant. Ford had previously said it would move production of the MKC out of the plant in order to build more Ford Escapes there.
A factory in Cuautitlan, Mexico, was likely to get the MKC. Under a contract negotiated last year with the United Auto Workers, Ford agreed to invest $700 million in the Louisville plant in return for moving the MKC production. Because Escape production would increase, no Louisville jobs would be lost.
Today, Ford would say only that the MKC decision was “recent,” but spokeswoman Christin Baker wouldn’t say exactly when it was made or whether Trump directly influenced it.
The MKC and Escape are essentially the same vehicle and are now built by the same workers on the same assembly line. But while Ford has sold over 258,000 Escapes so far this year, it’s only sold about 21,000 MKCs. So, moving the MKC would have had little impact on the factory even if Escape production was not increased.
Still, Trump claimed credit for saving a factory from moving to Mexico. “I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great State of Kentucky for their confidence in me!” Trump said in one of two tweets on the subject. His initial tweet said: “Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky – no Mexico.”
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Ford Motor Co. and Trump have engaged in a yearlong feud over the automaker’s plans to move production south of the border. The company plans to shift small-car production from suburban Detroit to Mexico to improve profitability of the lower-priced cars. CEO Mark Fields said Tuesday that the presidential election didn’t change the company’s plan.
Trump wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and has called for a 35 percent tariff on goods shipped from Mexico in an effort to preserve U.S. manufacturing jobs.
Ford plans to move production of the Focus and C-Max small cars to Mexico from a plant in Wayne, Michigan. But jobs at the Wayne plant would be preserved because it’s getting a new SUV and small pickup truck.
“We are encouraged that President-elect Trump and the new Congress will pursue policies that will improve U.S. competitiveness and make it possible to keep production of this vehicle here in the United States,” Baker said in an email.
43 responses to “Trump claims to save auto plant; But it wasn’t closing”
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Liar. Trump will run the country the way he ran his campaign. It’ll all be based on insincere promises and distortion of facts.
He should have remained a used car salesman. However, a bunch of mislead people elected him to the most important position in the world.
Let’s hope it’ll be over in four years or less.
Hillary monkey man was the biggest LIAR.
And who told you she was the biggest liar? Think about it.
Another promise will be broken, Trump will NOT pUT Hillary in prison. Just trying to feed the mad dogs.
Was wondering where all the sorry losers were hanging out. Trump is doing great and now New Yorkers have to put up with him like we had to put up with Oblunder.
The Clown Prince of Washington will treat the nation to a continuous barrage of lies and false claims on his way to making America the laughing stock of the world. His cabinet is shaping up to be a parade of losers like him. It will be a rough time for the country until he’s impeached.
…along with media. Just about anything they report re: Trump is tainted and biased. Loved the look on the reporters’ faces election night as they watched Hillary go down in flames – they tried to act objective but the bias was painfully obvious.
Expect another 4 years of this BS bias, while people of action try to make America great again!
I predict he’ll be impeached.
Like you predicted Hillary would win. So much for your prognostication.
…like : “If you like doctor,you can keep your Doctor”. “Your Payments will not exceed 2500 dollars”. Obama Care? Give it up Keko! Why don’t you go and reincarnate our lost zombies, Klast3 and Ike, you’re sinking bro.
Kiss your Medicare good bye. The old trump lap dogs will suffer.
MillionMonkeys, get over it you lost, Trump won. Let me repeat, you lost, Trump won. People like you probably hope for the worse, even if it hurts our country, instead of hoping for what’s bets for all of us. Blind followers of any party is what got us into this divisive mess. How about giving someone else a chance. I hoped Obama would succeed even when I didn’t support him.
Read the article again, slowly and carefully, to understand what it says. It says Ford never intended to move the plant to Mexico, but you must read a bit further to understand the situation. Ford did in fact plan to move the production of one of the vehicles it makes at that plant to Mexico, which it now has decided not to do. Although Ford claimed that moving the production of one type of vehicle to Mexico would not result in job losses, it defies common sense to say the movement of any production outside the United States will not result in the loss of some jobs. Chalk one up for Trump.
So who’s lying? Ford Motors or Trump?
Its obvious whos lying,Ford has nothing to gain by lying.
“We are encouraged that President-elect Trump and the new Congress will pursue policies that will improve U.S. competitiveness and make it possible to keep production of this vehicle here in the United States,” Baker said in an email.” (Bakker is a Ford rep)
Sounds to me like Trump did have an effect.
The headline “But it wasn’t closing” looks misleading, i.e it referred to the part that was not closing and ignored the real subject, the part that was.
“Instead Ford decided to keep production of the Lincoln MKC small SUV at the Louisville Assembly Plant. Ford had previously said it would move production of the MKC out of the plant in order to build more Ford Escapes there.
A factory in Cuautitlan, Mexico, was likely to get the MKC.”
It was not the whole “plant” but, hey, a small victory in the right direction.
THE MEDIA (as always)
Welcome to the post-factual world of the President-elect. He is so driven to create false, ego-inflating narratives about himself that he can’t help lying, even though fact-checkers will immediately expose his self-congratulatory fantasy as complete nonsense.
I thought tariffs were not good for the USA?…….it stifles trade and competition?
Better get use to the liberal biased media printing every negative news story they can about the new president. I like it. The more negative they get the more fair minded people will turn against them. Be prepared to have more anti liberal politicians get elected.
Better get used to the fact-based media printing every accurate news story they can about the new president. I like it.
Washington Post recently published an interview with Paul Horner, ” the 38-year-old impresario of a Facebook fake-news empire, [who] has made his living off viral news hoaxes for several years.” Links to his fake stories have been tweeted by Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Eric Trump.
In the interview, he says, “Honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore — I mean, that’s how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn’t care because they’d already accepted it. It’s real scary. I’ve never seen anything like it. My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time. I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don’t fact-check anything — they’ll post everything, believe anything. His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/17/facebook-fake-news-writer-i-think-donald-trump-is-in-the-white-house-because-of-me/
Is that the same Washington Post that was wrong about almost everything about the election?
Point made
Washington Post was right about the election until Comey’s highly unethical surprise in the last week. Even Corey Lewandowski says that turned the election. The Post couldn’t have anticipated that Comey would return the US to the days when Hoover’s FBI actively interfered with elections.
Do you need some play doh?
Are we really going to have to put up with this leftest newspaper hammering everything Trump does for 8 years, did no one learn anything from the election….
Yes, They (MSM) did the same thing with GW Bush. But the difference is:
“To day we have MORE wars in the Middle east ,than President GW Bush could ever imagine”.
You’re right, for once. Bush was incapable of imagining that his reckless war of choice in Iraq would, as many middle east experts predicted, destabilize that region for a generation and that Iran would be the big winner.
Really? It’s “leftist” to point out that the President-elect lied again?
……. President Elect,Donald Trump is on his way to saving the auto plants in Kentucky! & After less than two weeks after being elected! Wow!
I see this as an “Olive Branch” on Fords part,by keeping production of the Lincoln MKC plant here. Via negotiations with Automotive Unions? Ford agreed,to allocate 700 million this plant! Wow again! This is a good start for Pres. Trump and The Unionized Workers! Further negotiations from the Trump administration can still be obtained!
I like this one……
Ford’s, Christin Baker claims that , he didn’t know if Trump has made an impact on Ford!……Yeah RIGHT! Trump did! Unless Ford was living under a Rock during the Campaign? They did! They heard all his speeches about Ford and Carrier!
Ford knew it was coming with Trumps proposed tax penalties and tariffs for Ford vehicles re-entering the US market should Ford leave.
This is another Tired story in another attempt from the MSM.zzzzzzzzzzzzzz,that’s me snoring, Heheheh! Think about it? Without Trump,The MSM has No interesting stories!
Like The New York Times,AP is So quick to shoot down President Trumps efforts! I seen and read the same story on a more credible news outlet…naughty ,naughty!lol!
Yeah ,yeah ,we know how the left stream media works & will TRY to spin this story, We all know …….. game! Not working guys!
The main trophy for President Trump, is still coming with the production plants of the smaller vehicles,considered moving to Mexico. ;ie Assembly/Production plants for The Ford Fiesta. Remember now ,President Trump is For American JOBS, not Jobs in Mexico!
Why is this idea so hard for liberals to grasp? Let’s see……You get jobs: That can pay your mortgage, buy food for your family, pay for your kids college tuition,Buy Gas, Go shopping, and lastly Paying for that Brand New Ford you’re planning on buying . Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Let’s recap, if Ford is Not “Impacted” from the strict regulation and Tax burdens, Tariffs etc, President Trump will indeed impose on them. IF they do in fact Move across the Border… Let’s see who cries uncle.
Not to mention the Re-negotiating of NAFTA. “Let’s see how” Ford “The All American” (lol) Vehicle Company in the land fairs in this deal!
Hard for liberals to grasp? you ask.
They don’t want jobs, they want to be subsidized, they want daddy to pay their $60 thousand yearly tuition at some sanctimonious ivy league indoctrination center, where the professors grant credit to go out and chant EF Trump, eff cops, and black lies matter.
….. I know,you’re right Blue! But i figured i’d try to dignify their lives with jobs.
“A Hands-up is far better than…… a Hand-out!”
Unlike me, you seem to be a nice and thoughtful person.
trump did this to make ford not move there plant because of the penalty he would charge if they moved and try to sell there vehicle back in the U.S. and also that is why apple decided now they might bring there company back to the U.S. the trumpster is doing it, more to come.
Please, please, please learn to write standard English. You might find that people will take you more seriously.
Maybe it is some kind of stream of consciousness style of writing or someone hitting the buds early?
“Not Closing” BS – moving out of the country is ‘Effectively CLOSING as far as Employees are concerned!’
Orange pua’a
Wow if the SA put every false assertion Obama ever made we would have seen a similar article daily.
Every negative story the liberal press runs on Trump adds another nail to its coffin. The press is destroying itself, its credibility and the whole notion of what a free press is.
IRT yhls: Good point. It seems to me that the mainstream is losing credibility by the minute. Listen to MSNBC for about 5 minutes (force yourself), and they will all rant and agree , not debate, minutia. On and on.
This is an old story with just a different spin on it. Distortion of facts might be a good way to put it. Both sides did it during the campaigning but
one person did it more, and he is the president elect.
I heard that Trump also gave the order to kill Bin Laden.