TRUMP WANTS MILLIONS MORE CARS BUILT IN U.S.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told top car executives at a meeting in the White House that he wants them to build “millions more cars” in the United States.
“We have at this table the biggest car manufacturers in the world,” said Trump as the meeting got underway on Friday.
“We’re working on how to build more cars in the US.”
Top executives of General Motors Co, Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and other companies came to discuss trade and environmental standards enacted by the Obama administration.
Before reporters were ushered out, Trump asked the group to go around the table and introduce themselves and explained that they would be discussing environmental regulations such as auto efficiency standards and trade — especially the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) currently under renegotiation.
“I’ve never been a Nafta fan,” said Trump.
The carmakers went into the meeting hoping to persuade Trump to cooperate with Jerry Brown, the Democratic governor of California, who invoked biblical references when calling the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back auto efficiency regulations “profoundly dangerous”.
They wanted to emphasise their support for easing the Obama-era standards, but not so much that it triggers a conflict with California and results in a split market of environmental regulations set by Washington and Sacramento.
Trump aimed more attacks at GM and Toyota over manufacturing plans for Mexico, and both responded by announcing billions of dollars in already planned investments in American plants.
Carmakers, parts suppliers and dealers have been wary about the administration’s renegotiation of the Nafta, warning that higher local content requirements could be unworkable and raise vehicle prices.
Trump trade-related tirades have been a routine issue for the likes of Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG and BMW AG, with Trump blasting Europe’s auto trade imbalance with the US and threatening to tax German car imports.
The Friday’s summit was a key milestone in the industry’s effort to win relief from the rules, a campaign that began in the first days of Trump’s presidency.