[ad_1]
TThe sole objective of President Trump's threat against General Motors ("We plan to remove all subsidies @GM, including for electric cars") was to send a signal to his supporters in the states that will be affected.
When Trump on Tuesday targeted the automaker on Twitter, GM's shares immediately dropped by nearly 4%, but they rallied in the hours that followed.
GM announced Monday that it was cutting its payroll by 15% and closing several factories in North America, particularly in Ohio and Michigan, to prepare for future market changes.
Trump, largely campaigning on a promise to reinvigorate manufacturing jobs in the United States, won both states in the 2016 election.
CNN, citing an unnamed person "familiar with the case," said that it was possible that the government would not even give up on the decision to close Trump.
…. for electric cars. General Motors made a big bet in China a few years ago, when they built factories there (and in Mexico) – do not think this bet will be profitable. I am here to protect American workers!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
November 27, 2018
But the threat was not so much about forcing GM to reverse its trajectory immediately, but rather to recall the theme of Trump's campaign that American workers are being fooled.
"Very disappointed with General Motors and its general manager, Mary Barra, having closed factories in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland," he said in his tweet. "Nothing is closed in Mexico and China, the United States has saved General Motors, and it's the THANKS we're getting!"
GM gave no indication that he had changed his mind. He simply said in a statement: "We appreciate the steps that this administration has taken on behalf of the industry to enhance the overall competitiveness of the US manufacturing industry."
But the conflict reminds Trump's supporters why they elected him, and that was the goal.
[ad_2]
Source link
