Trump Heads to Ford Factory to Boost Manufacturing Amid Job Concerns
President Donald Trump will travel to Michigan on Tuesday to promote his efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing, aiming to address concerns about a weakening job market and the impact of rising prices on Americans’ finances. The day trip will feature a tour of a Ford factory in Dearborn, where F-150 pickups, the bestselling domestic vehicle in the U.S., are manufactured. The president is scheduled to speak at the Detroit Economic Club, located at the MotorCity Casino. November’s off-year elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and other locations revealed a notable shift away from Republicans, as public concerns regarding essential everyday issues continue to resonate. Following their departure, the White House announced that Trump would focus more on directly communicating with the public regarding his economic policies, having conducted relatively few events nationwide earlier in his term.
The president has indicated that concerns regarding affordability are a fabrication, unnecessarily incited by Democrats. Despite imposing steep tariffs on U.S. trading partners globally, Trump has made some reductions, particularly regarding the automotive sector, including the extension of import levies on foreign-made auto parts until 2030. Ford announced last month that it was scrapping plans to make an electric F-150, despite pouring billions into broader electrification. This decision follows the Trump administration’s actions to slash targets for having half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030, eliminate EV tax credits, and propose weakening the emissions and gas mileage rules. His Michigan swing follows economy-focused speeches the president delivered last month in Pennsylvania, where Trump’s grievances about immigrants arriving in the U.S. from “filthy countries” garnered more attention than his commitments to combat inflation.
In North Carolina, he asserted that his tariffs have stimulated the economy, even as residents pointed out the pressure of rising prices. Trump won Michigan in both 2016 and 2024, following its shift to Democratic support for Joe Biden in 2020. He celebrated his first 100 days in office with a rally-style speech in April outside Detroit, where he emphasized past campaign grievances rather than detailing his administration’s economic or policy initiatives. During that visit nearly nine months ago, Trump also spoke at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and announced a new fighter jet mission, addressing concerns about the potential closure of the base. It marked a victory for Michigan Democratic Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer, who shared a hug with the other party involved. This time, Democrats have criticized the president’s trip, highlighting national Republicans’ resistance to extending health care subsidies and recalling a moment in October 2024 when Trump remarked that Democrats’ holding onto the White House would result in the entire country resembling Detroit. “You’re going to have a mess on your hands,” Trump said during a campaign stop back then. Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, stated that after months of asserting that affordability was a ‘hoax’ and contributing to a health care crisis for Michiganders, Donald Trump is now arriving in Detroit—a city he despises—to promote his billionaire-first agenda while working families endure hardship.” Hertel stated, “Michiganders are feeling the effects of Trump’s economy every day.”
