President Trump said Wednesday that a new owner has been found to take over an old General Motors automobile plant in Ohio that was idled in March.
“GREAT NEWS FOR OHIO! Just spoke to Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, who informed me that, subject to a UAW agreement etc., GM will be selling their beautiful Lordstown Plant to Workhorse, where they plan to build Electric Trucks,” the president tweeted.
“GM will also be spending $700,000,000 in Ohio in 3 separate locations, creating another 450 jobs. I have been working nicely with GM to get this done. Thank you to Mary B, your GREAT Governor, and Senator Rob Portman. With all the car companies coming back, and much more, THE USA IS BOOMING,” he said.
The president jumped behind his support for a new automobile company to occupy the space after GM announced it was ceasing production, leaving 1,700 Lordstown workers out of a job.
The president said at the time he spoke to Ms. Barra about saving the plant, saying he is “not happy that it is closed when everything else in our Country is BOOMING.”
“I asked her to sell it or do something quickly. She blamed the UAW Union — I don’t care, I just want it open,” Mr. Trump tweeted.
In a joint statement with GM, Workhorse CEO Duane Hughes said the agreement would create “a positive outcome for all parties involved and will help solidify the leadership of Workhorse’s role in the EV community,”
“The first vehicle we would plan to build if we were to purchase the Lordstown Complex would be a commercial electric pickup, blending Workhorse’s technology with Lordstown’s manufacturing expertise,” Mr. Hughes said.
Ms. Barra said: “We remain committed to growing manufacturing jobs in the U.S., including in Ohio, and we see this development as a potential win-win for everyone. Workhorse has innovative technologies that could help preserve Lordstown’s more than 50-year tradition of vehicle assembly work.”
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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