Trump tours Detroit plant, credits tariffs for 24/7 shifts, dismisses Canada-Mexico trade deal

DETROIT, MICHIGAN: President Donald Trump toured a Ford auto factory in Detroit on Tuesday, using the company’s move to round-the-clock operations as evidence that his tariff-driven trade policy is reshaping American manufacturing.

Standing alongside Ford executives, Trump embraced the label of “the tariff person,” arguing that pressure on foreign competitors is forcing automakers to expand inside the United States instead of overseas.

“Everybody now admits that I was right on tariffs,” Trump told workers and reporters, pointing to the plant’s shift to 24-hour operations, six days a week. He said the change reflects a broader turnaround. “Four years ago, plants were closing. Now we have more plants being built in our country than at any time in history,” he claimed.

Trump dismisses trade deal with Canada and Mexico 

Trump brushed aside the role of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade pact, saying it no longer factors into his thinking. “I don’t even think about USMCA,” he said, adding that while he wants Canada and Mexico to succeed, “we don’t need their product.”

“We don’t need cars made in Canada. We don’t need cars made in Mexico. We want to make them here,” Trump said.

He argued that trade agreements are “irrelevant” because manufacturers from Canada, Mexico, Japan and Germany are relocating production to the US to avoid tariffs. “Canada would love it,” he added. “But we don’t need it.”

Ford expands production and factory shifts

Ford CEO Jim Farley and Executive Chair Bill Ford confirmed the expansion, with Farley saying the company has “never seen anything like it.” The Detroit-area plant is adding a third shift to meet demand for the Ford F-150.

“It just gets hotter and hotter,” Farley said. He also noted that Ford is expanding an existing plant in Tennessee to produce a new, lower-cost combustion-engine truck.

Farley credited regulatory changes under the administration, citing relief from Environmental Protection Agency standards that Trump criticized as excessive. Trump claimed prior rules required “three computers on a car” to save minimal amounts of fuel. Farley also said a recent Time magazine survey of 10,000 people ranked Ford as the “number one” iconic American company.

Trump attacks Powell and Sen Thom Tillis

During the visit, Trump pivoted to criticize Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Republican Senator Thom Tillis. Asked about Tillis’s objections to a grand jury subpoena issued to Powell, Trump said, “That’s why Tom’s not going to be a senator any longer.”

Trump again labeled Powell a “bad Fed chairman,” saying interest rates are “too high.” He focused on a renovation project at the Federal Reserve, claiming, “He’s renovating a small building. It’s the most expensive construction job in history.” Trump said he could have completed the work for $25 million, while alleging Powell is spending “billions.”

Trump says tariffs on China protecting US auto industry 

Trump highlighted the administration’s 100% tariff on Chinese automobiles as central to protecting the US auto industry. “China’s taking over the auto business” in Europe, he said, but high US tariffs allow domestic companies to compete “very nicely.”

Farley also discussed a Defense Department project aimed at reducing the cost of troop carriers using the Ford F-450 platform. Trump responded, “I’ll help you with it.”

The visit concluded with Ford executives presenting Trump with a “special American flag” created by the factory team.