Former President Donald Trump, never one to shy away from bold claims, stirred the pot again during a visit to Michigan. Speaking in the heart of America's auto industry, he repeated a debunked claim that Chinese automakers are building massive factories in Mexico.
But he didn't stop there. Trump promised to slap a 200% tariff on cars made in these nonexistent plants if they ended up in the U.S.
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“If I don’t win, you will have no auto industry within two to three years,” Trump warned a crowd in Flint. He suggested that a victory for Vice President Kamala Harris in November would end American car manufacturing. According to Trump, the shift to electric vehicles would move jobs directly to China, leaving the U.S. auto industry in the dust.
However, the facts paint a different picture. Under the current administration, auto jobs have increased. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when Trump left office in January 2021, auto jobs had dipped 0.8%, landing just above 949,000, as cited by The Associated Press.
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Since President Joe Biden took over, auto and parts jobs have jumped by 13.6%, reaching 1.07 million by August. Car sales even ticked up by 2.4% in the first half of this year. The idea that the U.S. auto industry is on its last legs seems a stretch at the very least.
Trump also threw around some familiar rhetoric, pledging to force automakers to build factories in the U.S. by imposing steep tariffs on foreign-made cars. “It'll be like taking candy from a baby," he said, confident his proposed tariffs would discourage companies from building plants abroad. His plan is simple: if you make cars overseas, you'll pay dearly to sell them in America.
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However, foreign automakers already operate multiple plants in the U.S., mostly in southern states, meaning many are already playing by the rules Trump wants to enforce. While Trump's threats of tariffs may sound tough, experts point out that they often lead to higher prices for American consumers rather than benefiting domestic workers.
Trump’s tariff proposal also extends to Chinese cars supposedly built in Mexico. “They’re owned and built by China in Mexico and a number of them going up right now,” he claimed.
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However, industry experts have repeatedly stated that this is untrue. The only Chinese auto factory in Mexico is run by JAC, a small company assembling low-cost vehicles from kits. It’s focused on the Mexican market, not the U.S.
In response to Trump's comments, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, speaking on behalf of Kamala Harris' campaign, issued a sharp rebuttal. He argued that another Trump presidency would be disastrous for autoworkers.
“A second Trump term would crush auto jobs, ceding Michigan's global auto manufacturing leadership to the Chinese government," Peters warned. He added that Harris has a clear plan to bring high-paying manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., ensuring that Michigan workers remain at the forefront of the global auto industry.
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