President Trump cut taxes for the wealthy and big business, and still, it has not created jobs.
In fact, as Trump congratulated himself for auto jobs — in March, hyperventilating over Ford investing money in Flat Rock, Michigan, claiming that companies were “pouring back into the United States” because “they want to be where the action is” — the number 2 automaker Ford was actually restructuring and planning to cut 10% of its global salaried workforce.
An estimated 2,300 of the employees affected are in the United States.
Great news from @Ford! They are investing nearly $1 BILLION in Flat Rock, Michigan for auto production on top of a $1 BILLION investment last month in a facility outside of Chicago. Companies are pouring back into the United States – they want to be where the action is!
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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019
Big announcement by Ford today. Major investment to be made in three Michigan plants. Car companies coming back to U.S. JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2017
Ford Motor Company will be cutting about 7,000 jobs by the end of August as part of its larger restructuring, in order to save $600 million annually. They will begin notifying North American employees on Tuesday and the majority will be completed by May 24, Ford Chief Executive Office Jim Hackett said.
Hackett said in an email to employees that the cuts include both voluntary buyouts and layoffs, and a spokesman added it freezes open positions as well. About 2,300 of the affected people are employed in the United States, the spokesman said.
Hackett described 2019 as a year of transition for the company. Which is not the same as “pouring back into the United States” because “they want to be where the action is.”
The Whit House hasn’t commented yet, and maybe they don’t care because these are salaried, white collar jobs. But jobs are jobs and Trump painted a very different picture of the present day situation for auto makers than exists in reality.
Trump’s version of reality is never a reliable marker, except to serve as a hint to go in the opposite direction of what he’s claiming. Trump wasn’t good at his personal businesses, so why would he be better at a government position he doesn’t even understand. Let’s not forget that conservatives claim the government can’t create jobs, but they are more than happy to tout Trump’s false claims as having created an economy that is bringing business back to life.
The tax cuts did not create jobs. This is not news, sane people dealing with reality knew that they would not because historically they have not, but Republicans insist on their unicorn beliefs being treated as a legitimate “side” even after they have been proven false by reality. Tax cuts benefit people like Donald Trump and Mitt Romney. They don’t even help white collar workers.
If you’re a farmer, you probably already know Trump lied to you about having your back.
If you’re a steel worker or coal worker, you’ve probably caught on that Trump lied to you about bringing your jobs back.
And now, if you’re an auto employee, you too can join that sad club of betrayed Trump voters.
(Additional reporting by Reuters’ Ben Klayman)
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