President Trump implored GM CEO Mary Barra to “do something quickly” to save the Lordstown plant in Ohio in a tweet on Sunday.
The president said he’s not happy the plant is idle and said he’d spoken with Barra about the facility. According to the president, Barra “blamed the UAW” for putting the automaker in the situation. President Trump also exercised the possibility of selling the plant, something Ohio Governor Mike DeWine believes is on the table.
The governor previously said GM would have more information on the plant’s future in a few weeks, but it’s unclear what kind of deal GM may have—if it has one at all. The state begged GM to keep them in the loop to stand ready with incentives for any company that wants to take over the facility.
Just spoke to Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors about the Lordstown Ohio plant. I am not happy that it is closed when everything else in our Country is BOOMING. I asked her to sell it or do something quickly. She blamed the UAW Union — I don’t care, I just want it open!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
Closing the tweet, the president said “I don’t care, I just want it open!” in a call for anything to save the production facility in the Mahoning Valley.
In a second tweet on Sunday, the president called out local UAW 1112 president David Green and told the “Democrat” to “get his act together and produce.” Ironically, Green has penned two letters to President Trump asking for his assistance to help save the plant and funnel investment into the facility. The first came in July of 2018 after GM laid off the Lordstown plant’s second shift. Critically, the job cuts came as GM announced the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer would be made in Mexico.
It’s unclear if the president or his administration ever replied to Green, though the UAW leader said last year at the time of the original report that he had not heard back.
GM has given no indication it plans to allocate a new vehicle to the Lordstown plant, but the automaker will need to negotiate its actual closure with the UAW in a new labor contract later this year.
Comments
Why doesn’t he care about the other “closed” plants? Ohio is a swing state…
Nothing like Machete Mary throwing the UAW under the bus for her incompetent decision making. The “old GM” is alive and well.
The old GM would have done nothing at all, and lost another few billion dollars and ask for another taxpayer funded bailout. GM is being proactive here.
You may want to do some research on how many plants GM has closed since 1985. Since then, the process has been the same- close plants, loose market share, rinse, repeat.
The ‘proactive” argument is just one Machete Mary’s PR minions have cooked up to mask her incompetence. The incompetence of recognizing market trends three years after GM’s competitors. The incompetence of betting the farm on speculative technology most buyers do not want at the expense of quality and investments in plant infrastructure. The incompetence of having a dog and pony show to announce token plant investments of $20 million while GM’s smaller competitors are spending up to 22.5 times that amount on their plants.
Sorry, at $22 million a year (and probably twice that amount this year), I expect more.
So the bloated demagogue raises GM’s raw material costs with his foolish trade war (on our allies, not on our adversaries like Russia, funny that) and now he’s trying to bully GM into keeping an unprofitable plant open? What the hell does he expect GM to do, become socialist and just employ workers to manufacture unsaleable widgets?
Why doesn’t president ‘heel spurs’ get together with his rich friends at the ‘club’ in florida and order up tens of thousands for use as golf carts. covefe
Is this laissez faire and small, conservative government?
Time to realize that the Union and GM have to talk this summer. The Lordstown plant will be part of those talks.
GM will not say much as they have to negotiate with the union and it may lead to a new product in the future here or other agreements for other plants in this country.
Note both the UAW and GM both have not burned bridges here like the bridges that were burned on both sides in Oshawa.
As for Trump he just added a ton of Jobs at the tank plant in Ohio that is very appreciated. Also most employers here are finding labor shortages.
If you can pass a drug test and show up everyday there are some good jobs out there.
One company just up I76 from Lordstown is willing to pay you to let them teach you how to weld and then they will give you a good paying job after you learn how to weld.
The Cruze going under was not planned but had to be dealt with. Talks this summer should decide on what the fate is here.
There will never be a war where thousands of tanks are needed. KEEP DREAMING
No but even an idiot well maybe not an idiot would understand that the Army on a regular basis overhauls them and then they also need to be sent back to the mfg to upgraded to more advanced systems and more modern powetrains.
The truth is they keep rebuilding the same ranks and keep making them better.
The new contract should get them up to class leading again.
No matter how you want to deny it this keep the plant busier and higher employed.
The same thing applies to planes choppers and ground gear. They go through msny upgrades and cycles.
Not all the Super Hornets are newplanes.
The Militsry is hurting with years of cut backs and by getting them back to full potential it will also employ many.
There is no need for hundreds of tanks as there is no place such a battle would occur. Back to treating your little heel spurs scottie. Keep spending millions the country does not have…..JUST CHARGE IT….
Tommy Boy you really have a lot to learn. We have several areas we may have a war and tanks are going to be key just as we saw in the Gulf war.
We have the money but so much is wasted. You know on thinks like liberal universities that take bribes and community organizers that need to get real jobs.
We need a strong military or we will fail as a country and lose our place in the world. Just ask the British how it feels.
Our military needs to be a priority. Even the money spent on them pays Americans at American companies that pay American taxes.
He “made” ford change its plans to make a car in Mexico, why doesn’t he do the same thing with gm. Maybe the wall is keeping gm stuck in Mexico.
The country is over 22 trillion in debt and climbing. Great going heel spurs!!!!!
There is no need for hundreds of tanks as there is no place such a battle would occur. Back to treating your little heel spurs scottie. Keep spending millions the country does not have…..JUST CHARGE IT….
So how long did it take Mary Barra to stop laughing to this Tweet! LOL
She won’t be laughing too much when the tax credit for EVs are not renewed since she pissed off the administration.
Well he has little to say about it. That is up to a congress that is growing increasingly hostile to him. He seems to think he is a dictator.
Mary Barra has actually accomplished something in her life. Trump….steaks, vodka, three casinos in A.C., a hotel in Vegas without a gambling license. Keep treating those heel spurs little paratrooper.
Mary Barra was a golden child fast tracked to her position. She never held a job outside of GM. At least Trump dabbled in a lot of different things most of which were successful.
What happened buddy??? trump shuttle, trump steaks, trump vodka, trump casinos, trump suits, trump ties, trump water……….Now paying for hookers is another matter. covefe
You are kidding right? Almost everything this guy touches turns into a turd.
Have you noticed recently that whatever Pocapornstar wants… Pocapornstar doesn’t get.
He wants action fast so he can put more tariffs on them also……..