President Trump prodded top auto industry executives Friday to make more cars and trucks in the U.S., promising that his tough trade policies also would make it easier to sell those vehicles overseas.
“We’re working on how to build more cars in the United States,” Mr. Trump said at a White House roundtable discussion with major automakers. “We are going to be talking about environmental control, CAFE standards and manufacturing millions of new cars within the United States.”
Bigs form every major automaker were seated around the table.
Mr. Trump singled out Sergio Marchionne, chairman and CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, to praise the company’s plans to move a factory from Mexico to Michigan.
“Thank you, you’re moving to Michigan from Mexico,” said the president. “That’s what we like. Right now he’s my favorite man in the room.”
Relocating an auto plant north of the Rio Grande reverses a longtime trend of automakers opening factories in cheap-labor Mexico and then shipping the cars into the U.S. for sale.
Mr. Trump has vowed to end the shipping aboard of U.S. manufacturing jobs. The administration is renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement to help accomplish that.
The automakers also are urging Mr. Trump not to lower high Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. They hope to avoid a court battle with California and other states over the standard, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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