The Jobs That Trump Thanked Ford For Saving Are Now Moving To China

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President Trump took credit for pushing the auto companies around to force them to keep jobs in the U.S., which certainly would have been something to celebrate if only it had been true. He really likes to incorrectly take credit for Ford decisions.

Trump thanked Ford for keeping jobs in the US, but it turns out that the automaker is moving jobs to China, as Ford announced Tuesday:

Exciting new Ford Focus on the way for North American customers beginning in 2019 with more technology, more space and a number of new Focus models. Next-generation Focus for North America will be globally sourced primarily from China – rather than Hermosillo, Mexico – with production starting in the second half of 2019. Current model production ends in mid-2018.

The New York Times observed, “The company was building a $1.6 billion assembly plant for the next Focus model in Mexico, but it ran into stiff opposition from President Trump and then canceled the project.”

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Reuters reported in November that Ford was going ahead with their plan to move production of the Focus to Mexico even after Trump’s criticism:

President-elect Donald Trump has criticized Ford for the decision to shift production of Focus small cars to Mexico in 2018 and said he would consider levying tariffs on Mexican-made Fords. Trump has also said he wants to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, which also includes Canada, and to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to stop undocumented immigrants.

“We’re going forward with our plan to move production of the Ford Focus to Mexico, and importantly that’s to make room for two very important products we’ll be putting back into Michigan plants,” Fields said in an interview on the sidelines of the Los Angeles Auto Show. “There will be no job impact whatsoever with this move.”

Trump taking credit for Ford decisions:

The New York Times rebutted Trump’s assertions, “Ford, however, said it neither planned to close the Louisville, Ky., plant nor reduce jobs there. The company said it had considered moving Lincoln production to Mexico to increase production of the Ford Escape in Louisville.

Trump criticized Ford during the campaign for its decision to move small-car production from Michigan to Mexico. Trump suggested he might impose tariffs on Ford cars assembled in Mexico.”

Here’s Trump taking credit in 2017 as President for a Ford decision made in 2015, most of which was actually based on United Auto Workers Union negotiation, which is particularly galling given Trump’s treatment of workers and the Republican Party’s constant demonizing of unions (note for the Kellyannes in the house: Trump was not president in 2015):

Here’s Kellyanne Conway promoting the same propaganda:

It’s easy to “win” when you take credit for things that you had nothing to do with and you don’t have a problem with just making things up.

This might seem like just more Trump lies, but figuring out how to keep jobs here in America is of vital importance and we can’t do that when our President pretends that he waved his magic wand and made it happen.

The UAW working with Ford made it happen, but they can’t work alone. They need support from Congress and the President to make American jobs competitive and well-paid.

This is with Mitt Romney taking credit for the results auto industry bailout when he was against it on steroids.

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