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Trump's Remarks at Ford Rawsonville Components Plant; May 21, 2020
REMARKS
Remarks by President Trump at Ford Rawsonville Components Plant
ECONOMY & JOBS
Issued on: May 21, 2020
Ford Motor Company
Rawsonville Components Plant
Ypsilanti, Michigan
4:44 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Well, thank you very much. I like that dais very much, actually. That’s very special. Nice wood. Beautiful like the dashboards on your cars, Bill. Right?
MR. FORD: Absolutely.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. And I just heard you’re going to be having two more — two thousand more jobs right down the road for the Bronco, which is a big winner. That’s great. Fantastic job. Thank you very much, Bill.
MR. FORD: Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. It’s right down the road. (Applause.) It’s an honor to have Bill with us. Thank you very much.
And I’m thrilled to be back in Michigan. We’ve done a lot of work in Michigan. A lot of plants are opening. A lot of plants stopped — we stopped them from closing. And we kept your workers here in Michigan and in the United States — different places, as you know, all over the United States. But it’s an honor to do it. It’s one of the reasons I’m standing here.
In fact, years ago, I was honored. Long before I ever thought of the presidential situation, I was honored in Michigan. And I said, “How come you’re losing so much of your car business to Mexico and other places?” And I asked that question very innocently; it was probably 10 years ago. The “Man of the Year” — they named me “Man of the Year” in Michigan. And I said, “What’s going on in Michigan?” And we’ve stopped it.
{snip}
With your help, not a single American who has needed a ventilator has been denied a ventilator. Not one. And as you remember, we took over empty cupboards. The cupboards were bare. And we got into the business of ventilators and testing and all of these other things.
{snip}
In fact, years ago, I was honored. Long before I ever thought of the presidential situation, I was honored in Michigan. And I said, “How come you’re losing so much of your car business to Mexico and other places?” And I asked that question very innocently; it was probably 10 years ago. The “Man of the Year” — they named me “Man of the Year” in Michigan. And I said, “What’s going on in Michigan?” And we’ve stopped it.
{snip}
The company founded by a man named Henry Ford — good bloodlines, good bloodlines, if you believe in that stuff. You got good blood. (Laughs.) They teamed up with the company founded by Thomas Edison — that’s General Electric. It’s good stuff. That’s good stuff. And you put it all together. They’re all looking down right now and they’d be very proud of what they see.
{snip}
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you, Gary. (Applause.) Thank you, Gary, very much.
With us, as well, is Adrian Price, who has helped lead this effort as one of Ford’s top engineers — highly respected. Come on up. Please, Adrian. (Applause.)
MR. PRICE: Thank you, Mr. President.
{snip}
And as I stand here today, surrounded by these awesome American-made cars, SUVs, and beautiful trucks, I’m so pleased that our facilities and dealerships are safely in operation and serving the needs of our current, and maybe future, Ford and Lincoln customers.
Thank you, Mr. President. (Laughter and applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I bought plenty of them. I bought plenty of them. Thank you, Adrian. Yep, I have a lot of those Lincolns. That’s great. Thank you very much.
The global pandemic has proven once and for all that to be a strong nation, America must be a manufacturing nation. We’re bringing it back. Six hundred thousand jobs. The previous administration said, “Manufacturing, we’re not doing that. It’s gone from this country.” They were wrong. Six hundred thousand jobs — until we had to turn it off. And now we’re going to turn it back on like never before. You’ll see numbers that you didn’t even see the last time; we’re going to rebuild it quickly. It’s going to happen very quickly.
We’re already seeing indications of that. Larry Kudlow gave some numbers that were really inspiring this morning, based on what we’re hearing and seeing.
True national independence requires economic independence. From day one, I’ve been fighting to bring back our jobs from China and many other countries. Today, I’m declaring a simple but vital national goal: The United States will be the world’s premier pharmacy, drugstore, and medical manufacturer. We’re bringing our medicines back — (applause) — and many other things, too.
We must produce critical equipment, supplies pharmaceuticals, technologies for ourselves. We cannot rely on foreign nations to take care of us, especially in times of difficulty.
In previous decades, politicians shipped away our jobs, outsourced our supply chains, and offshored our industries. They sent them abroad and we’re bringing them back. And we’ve been doing that long before this crisis. We’re bringing them back. That’s why we have so many plants being built all over the United States that make a beautiful product called cars. Bringing them back. You see it.
I told Prime Minister Abe of Japan, I said, “You got to — Shinzo, you got to get them back. Got to…” We have many Japanese companies now building car companies here. I said, “You got to bring them back.” We’ve had deficits with all of these countries for years and years and years. They were ripping us left and right. We had no idea. We had no leader that understood what the hell was happening, but now you do. I said, “You got to bring them back.”
We made a great deal with South Korea. We made a great deal. Japan — it’ll be $40 billion Japan is putting into the United States, not to mention all of the plants that they’re building. The South Korea deal was a terrible deal and we made it good. Hillary Clinton actually made that deal. She said, “It’s going to produce 250,000 jobs.” And she was right; it produced 250,000 jobs for South Korea, not for us. Wasn’t too good, was it?
But we are bringing it all back to our country, and it started long before this happened. And maybe that’s one of the reasons this happened. Maybe people weren’t so thrilled with what was going on. But we had the greatest year in the history of our country. We’re going to have it again very soon.
In this administration, we know that it matters where someone and something — where someone works on something or where something is made. As we’ve seen today, companies like your great Ford and workers like you are a national treasure. I consider Ford to be a national treasure. I consider you to be a national treasure — the talent — because that talent and culture and commitment to winning are irreplaceable.
Your patriotism cannot be outsourced. Your 117 years of incredible manufacturing heritage cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. The talent — I see the talent. I know what talent is. I understand your world, and I understand your business. That’s why in my administration we live by two simple rules: Buy American and hire American. (Applause.)
And we have another rule that you may have heard on occasion. It’s called “America First.” We didn’t have America first; we had America last under previous presidents. They were more concerned with the world than they were concerned with their own country.
My first week in office, I withdrew from the job-wrecking Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have destroyed the auto industry.
I don’t know, I didn’t — I never asked you about that, Bill. I mean, I think you agree. Oh, you do? Would you please stand up and just nod that you agree? That’s — (laughter) — your industry, Bill, would have been destroyed had that deal gone through. And not only yours, by the way. But other countries would have been very happy. So I don’t know. I don’t know how the hell these unions aren’t endorsing Trump instead of the standard Democrat — a Democrat that doesn’t even know where he is.
We renegotiated the catastrophic deal with South Korea to preserve the protective tariff on foreign-made pickup trucks. You know, the “chicken tax,” they call it. Right? You know what the chicken tax is? The most profitable thing you have. You know why? Because of the chicken tax. That was expiring a year ago, and I got it extended. Because of that tax, it’s one of the most profitable products. You live for that product, right?
I kept my promise to replace the NAFTA disaster with the brand-new USMCA, which is a fantastic deal for our country. Tough new requirements under the USMCA ensure more cars to be built at American plants by American labor — and even labor endorsed it. But, you know, the big thing is: You were losing all of your car indus- — you weren’t going to have a car industry left. Now people aren’t going to be moving back to Mexico, they’re not going to be moving back, and you’re going to have it the other way.
{snip}
I want to say very powerfully, very strongly: God bless you all. God bless America. I’m proud to be here. I’m proud to be with Ford. Bill, thank you very much. Everyone, thank you very much. We’ll be back. We’ll see you a lot. Good luck. John James, thank you for being here. We’re going to have a great senator. John James. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 5:12 P.M. EDT
Remarks by President Trump at Ford Rawsonville Components Plant
ECONOMY & JOBS
Issued on: May 21, 2020
Ford Motor Company
Rawsonville Components Plant
Ypsilanti, Michigan
4:44 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Well, thank you very much. I like that dais very much, actually. That’s very special. Nice wood. Beautiful like the dashboards on your cars, Bill. Right?
MR. FORD: Absolutely.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. And I just heard you’re going to be having two more — two thousand more jobs right down the road for the Bronco, which is a big winner. That’s great. Fantastic job. Thank you very much, Bill.
MR. FORD: Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. It’s right down the road. (Applause.) It’s an honor to have Bill with us. Thank you very much.
And I’m thrilled to be back in Michigan. We’ve done a lot of work in Michigan. A lot of plants are opening. A lot of plants stopped — we stopped them from closing. And we kept your workers here in Michigan and in the United States — different places, as you know, all over the United States. But it’s an honor to do it. It’s one of the reasons I’m standing here.
In fact, years ago, I was honored. Long before I ever thought of the presidential situation, I was honored in Michigan. And I said, “How come you’re losing so much of your car business to Mexico and other places?” And I asked that question very innocently; it was probably 10 years ago. The “Man of the Year” — they named me “Man of the Year” in Michigan. And I said, “What’s going on in Michigan?” And we’ve stopped it.
{snip}
With your help, not a single American who has needed a ventilator has been denied a ventilator. Not one. And as you remember, we took over empty cupboards. The cupboards were bare. And we got into the business of ventilators and testing and all of these other things.
{snip}
In fact, years ago, I was honored. Long before I ever thought of the presidential situation, I was honored in Michigan. And I said, “How come you’re losing so much of your car business to Mexico and other places?” And I asked that question very innocently; it was probably 10 years ago. The “Man of the Year” — they named me “Man of the Year” in Michigan. And I said, “What’s going on in Michigan?” And we’ve stopped it.
{snip}
The company founded by a man named Henry Ford — good bloodlines, good bloodlines, if you believe in that stuff. You got good blood. (Laughs.) They teamed up with the company founded by Thomas Edison — that’s General Electric. It’s good stuff. That’s good stuff. And you put it all together. They’re all looking down right now and they’d be very proud of what they see.
{snip}
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you, Gary. (Applause.) Thank you, Gary, very much.
With us, as well, is Adrian Price, who has helped lead this effort as one of Ford’s top engineers — highly respected. Come on up. Please, Adrian. (Applause.)
MR. PRICE: Thank you, Mr. President.
{snip}
And as I stand here today, surrounded by these awesome American-made cars, SUVs, and beautiful trucks, I’m so pleased that our facilities and dealerships are safely in operation and serving the needs of our current, and maybe future, Ford and Lincoln customers.
Thank you, Mr. President. (Laughter and applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I bought plenty of them. I bought plenty of them. Thank you, Adrian. Yep, I have a lot of those Lincolns. That’s great. Thank you very much.
The global pandemic has proven once and for all that to be a strong nation, America must be a manufacturing nation. We’re bringing it back. Six hundred thousand jobs. The previous administration said, “Manufacturing, we’re not doing that. It’s gone from this country.” They were wrong. Six hundred thousand jobs — until we had to turn it off. And now we’re going to turn it back on like never before. You’ll see numbers that you didn’t even see the last time; we’re going to rebuild it quickly. It’s going to happen very quickly.
We’re already seeing indications of that. Larry Kudlow gave some numbers that were really inspiring this morning, based on what we’re hearing and seeing.
True national independence requires economic independence. From day one, I’ve been fighting to bring back our jobs from China and many other countries. Today, I’m declaring a simple but vital national goal: The United States will be the world’s premier pharmacy, drugstore, and medical manufacturer. We’re bringing our medicines back — (applause) — and many other things, too.
We must produce critical equipment, supplies pharmaceuticals, technologies for ourselves. We cannot rely on foreign nations to take care of us, especially in times of difficulty.
In previous decades, politicians shipped away our jobs, outsourced our supply chains, and offshored our industries. They sent them abroad and we’re bringing them back. And we’ve been doing that long before this crisis. We’re bringing them back. That’s why we have so many plants being built all over the United States that make a beautiful product called cars. Bringing them back. You see it.
I told Prime Minister Abe of Japan, I said, “You got to — Shinzo, you got to get them back. Got to…” We have many Japanese companies now building car companies here. I said, “You got to bring them back.” We’ve had deficits with all of these countries for years and years and years. They were ripping us left and right. We had no idea. We had no leader that understood what the hell was happening, but now you do. I said, “You got to bring them back.”
We made a great deal with South Korea. We made a great deal. Japan — it’ll be $40 billion Japan is putting into the United States, not to mention all of the plants that they’re building. The South Korea deal was a terrible deal and we made it good. Hillary Clinton actually made that deal. She said, “It’s going to produce 250,000 jobs.” And she was right; it produced 250,000 jobs for South Korea, not for us. Wasn’t too good, was it?
But we are bringing it all back to our country, and it started long before this happened. And maybe that’s one of the reasons this happened. Maybe people weren’t so thrilled with what was going on. But we had the greatest year in the history of our country. We’re going to have it again very soon.
In this administration, we know that it matters where someone and something — where someone works on something or where something is made. As we’ve seen today, companies like your great Ford and workers like you are a national treasure. I consider Ford to be a national treasure. I consider you to be a national treasure — the talent — because that talent and culture and commitment to winning are irreplaceable.
Your patriotism cannot be outsourced. Your 117 years of incredible manufacturing heritage cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. The talent — I see the talent. I know what talent is. I understand your world, and I understand your business. That’s why in my administration we live by two simple rules: Buy American and hire American. (Applause.)
And we have another rule that you may have heard on occasion. It’s called “America First.” We didn’t have America first; we had America last under previous presidents. They were more concerned with the world than they were concerned with their own country.
My first week in office, I withdrew from the job-wrecking Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have destroyed the auto industry.
I don’t know, I didn’t — I never asked you about that, Bill. I mean, I think you agree. Oh, you do? Would you please stand up and just nod that you agree? That’s — (laughter) — your industry, Bill, would have been destroyed had that deal gone through. And not only yours, by the way. But other countries would have been very happy. So I don’t know. I don’t know how the hell these unions aren’t endorsing Trump instead of the standard Democrat — a Democrat that doesn’t even know where he is.
We renegotiated the catastrophic deal with South Korea to preserve the protective tariff on foreign-made pickup trucks. You know, the “chicken tax,” they call it. Right? You know what the chicken tax is? The most profitable thing you have. You know why? Because of the chicken tax. That was expiring a year ago, and I got it extended. Because of that tax, it’s one of the most profitable products. You live for that product, right?
I kept my promise to replace the NAFTA disaster with the brand-new USMCA, which is a fantastic deal for our country. Tough new requirements under the USMCA ensure more cars to be built at American plants by American labor — and even labor endorsed it. But, you know, the big thing is: You were losing all of your car indus- — you weren’t going to have a car industry left. Now people aren’t going to be moving back to Mexico, they’re not going to be moving back, and you’re going to have it the other way.
{snip}
I want to say very powerfully, very strongly: God bless you all. God bless America. I’m proud to be here. I’m proud to be with Ford. Bill, thank you very much. Everyone, thank you very much. We’ll be back. We’ll see you a lot. Good luck. John James, thank you for being here. We’re going to have a great senator. John James. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 5:12 P.M. EDT
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