In his announcement Ford CEO Mark Fields was able to suck up to President Trump. That’s fitting because Trump created the conditions in which this type of announcement is newsworthy. The Republicans know how to claim a victory.
While this may feel like “the Iranian hostage crisis redux” to many Dems who remember how Jimmy Carter saved the hostages while Reagan received the credit, it shouldn’t.
While it true that Obama “saved” the auto industry in the US, the Democrats don’t have a culture that can capitalize on this types of strategic wins. The Republicans…THEY have a culture and as we’ve seen time and again, culture beats the shit out of strategy.
Ford announced today plans to cancel a $1.6-billion plant in Mexico and to invest $700 million in metro Detroit’s Flat Rock Assembly plant.
“We are today announcing that we are investing $700 M to transform Flat Rock into a new manufacturing & innovation center,” Ford CEO Mark Fields said at a press conference held this morning at the plant.
Ford CEO Mark Fields said the decision to cancel the plant in Mexico was based in part on changing market conditions with sales of small cars declining as well as the pro-business climate the automaker expects under President-elect Donald Trump.
“We look at all the factors, and our view is we see a more positive U.S. manufacturing business environment under president elect Trump and the pro-growth policies and proposals that he is talking about, so this is a vote of confidence for President-elect Trump and some of the policies that they may be pursuing,” Fields said.
Ford Vice Chairman Bill Ford called Trump this morning to inform the president-elect of the decision and Fields called incoming Vice President Mike Pence.
“They were very pleased that we are investing here in the United States,” Fields said.