WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Monday afternoon he is "not happy" with General Motors' decision to close plants in Detroit and Ohio and said he is putting "a lot of pressure" on the company to reverse course.
Trump made the comments according to a pool report from the White House press corps prior to taking off for rallies to be held later Monday in Mississippi. General Motors announced earlier in the day that it would be closing plants in Detroit-Hamtramck and Lordstown, Ohio.
“We don’t like it," Trump said of the news, then added, "I think we'll be opening up something else," though he didn't offer any explanation.
He said that he was "very tough" with GM CEO Mary Barra when speaking with her, though he didn't say when that conversation occurred. Barra was also expected to speak to White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow following the announcement earlier Monday.
Trump ran for office in 2016 on a message of protecting and creating manufacturing jobs -- and especially auto jobs -- and threatening companies that moved or produced vehicles outside of the country. Since taking office, he has threatened tariffs on imported autos though so far he has held off on imposing them. Some critics say the trade moves he has made have pushed costs up, however.
Speaking before getting on Marine One, Trump said, "This country has done a lot for General Motors. They better get back to Ohio and soon. So we have a lot of pressure on them. We have a lot of senators, and a lot of pressure. They say the Chevy Cruze is not selling well. I said, 'Well get a car that is selling well and put it back in.'"
"I think you’ll see something else happen there," Trump continued, presumably speaking about Lordstown assembly. "I’m not happy about it. ... I have no doubt in the not too distant future, they better put something else.”
Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler
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