General Motors CEO Mary Barra will meet President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Thursday, the White House announced in a press release.
The session will be closed to media and it’s not clear what may be on the agenda, with GM releasing a statement saying “our executive team regularly meets with policymakers; we do not disclose details of those meetings.”
GM has been the subject of Trump’s criticism, who last week slammed the automaker for its shrinking US workforce and for continuing to allocate vehicle production to Mexico. He also accused the automaker of relying too heavily on China to drive its business.
“General Motors, which was once the Giant of Detroit, is now one of the smallest auto manufacturers there,” Trump said in a tweet. “They moved major plants to China, BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE. This was done despite the saving help given them by the USA. Now they should start moving back to America again?”
While GM does operate a number of plants in China, they serve the local market only and do not produce vehicles for other countries. The only exception is the Buick Envision, which is built at a plant in the city of Yantai in China’s Shandong province before being exported to the United States.
GM has also faced backlash for allocating production of the Chevrolet Blazer to Mexico just a short time before announcing the closure of Lordstown Assembly in Ohio – which built the now discontinued Chevrolet Cruze.
Trump’s meeting with Barra comes amid the automaker’s ongoing contract negotiations with the UAW. Engaging in dialogue with Barra could help boost his image among UAW members, who are more likely to place a priority on American jobs, job security and the health of the manufacturing industry.
The president previously threatened to cut GM’s electric car tax subsidies after the automaker announced it would close down four of its US plants late last year. A statement released by the White House at the time indicated Trump felt betrayed by the automaker for closing the plants, as it was previously trying to help it by loosening fuel economy standards and making other regulatory concessions.
Feeling let down by GM is a bi-partisan matter, it seems, with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau meeting with Trump last year to express mutual disappointment over the automaker’s decision to shrink its North American manufacturing footprint.
Barra’s meeting with Trump is scheduled for 1: 45 p.m. ET.
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Source: Reuters
Comments
Trump does not want to loose Ohio next year. He’s gonna make things difficult for Mary if she doesn’t start turning things around for US production. The Workhorse deal is a sham and GM better put the next new platform in Lordstown before the election.
His fat ass is intentionally accelerating a recession. First thing to drop in a recession will be automotive sales. He’s killing US manufacturing faster than any GM executive possibly could.
ERRRRRR that’s a no Vorg. I have a lot of issues with Trump but this type of stuff isn’t one of them. Only president I can think of in my history to hold these businesses accountable for their bs tactics.
Do you mean the same way he’s held Trump China based businesses accountable? I haven’t seen any press coverage of when those jobs will be US based. Have you? If so please share.
ArcticDog
Businesses HATE instability. Especially the unpredictable kind brought on by Trumps Tweets. Don’t expect Wall Street to support Trump in the next election.
So…have any of you folks here seen the latest job report? Or the wage growth that’s very strong at the lower end of our workforce? The fact is that Bernie and Pocohantas talk about bringing opportunity to the less fortunate and Trump is already doing just that.
Though I’m a GM fan, I hope he gives Barra hell. The Blazer should’ve gone to Lordstown.
Why don’t geniuses like you and the draft dodger in the white house come up with plans for the kinds of vehicles americans can buy!!!!!!!! 22.6 trillion in debt is not making america great
@Steve
I do not care what Politician anyone here likes or dislikes. I am kind of tired of all the Political talk that has been happening on this site for the last two years but it is what it is I guess. I love GM and this site so I continue to follow.
One thing though that is driving me nuts here is the following. I am so sick and tired of hearing this BS of the Blazer should have been built in Lordstown.
My question to you is the following.
Do you not realize the decision of where the Blazer would be assembled was made well before the decision to close or sell off Lordstown?
Do you honestly think an Auto Maker can just at the drop of a hat switch mid manufacturing (especially during the crucial ramping up faze) of a product like the Blazer to a Factory that isn’t capable of Producing that vehicle?
That argument is so insane. Be upset at GM for closing or selling Lordstown but stop this whole Blazer should’ve went there instead. It doesn’t work like that.
Damn Democrats !!!
Never seen a true business man at work.
Need to stop watching Roseanne !
Look I hate that Lordstown was sold off as well but a President cannot do anything about it. This is America, not Russia. If GM wants to sell off their assets they are free to do so. Again I hate that they had to sell Lordstown off but I am getting sick and tired of all these Politicians dragging GM through the mud which just makes The Foreign Auto Makers look that much better to the American people. This is so insane it is not even funny.
If Trump or any other President truly cares about the American worker and not simply that States votes, then force Foreign auto Makers to join the UAW to level the playing field. Oh that’s right, they will never do that. This is utterly ridiculous. If I was Mary Barra, I simply would not go.
i don’t recall any of the foreign automakers going to DC with the proverbial ‘hat in hand’ begging for money. GM went begging 10 years ago and were it not for the generosity of the American people, GM wouldn’t be here. We lost $11 billion bailing them out and the pretext for the deal was that GM was good for America and provided good jobs. They took the money and as a result they’ll always be subjected to the wrath of government leaders, and rightfully so.
Banks did though correct?
Do you see the President or any President keep calling their CEO’s to the WH to make themselves look tough in Swing States? So it is ok for Banks to ship their jobs overseas b/c they are white collar jobs huh?
This is a complete joke. If any President truly cares about the American worker instead of just votes in the pivotal swing states, force every Auto Maker building here that has American workers join the UAW.
How much more simpler than that can it possibly get?
Everyone is all up in arms about GM, Ford, and Chrysler building outside of the US but nobody ever says a word when Foreign Auto Makers build factories on American Soil but do not have to Pay Union Salaries like our Home Team Big Three. It is a complete joke.
Our very own Government places the Home teams behind the eight ball on their Home Turf. How insane is that. Nobody says a word though.
If I was Mary Barra, I would tell Trump and or any President not to worry about how we run our Business. Just like they gave money to Banks and no questions were asked, so should be the Auto Bailout Loans. They were Paid back.
Me personally, I am more upset there are like a million Foreign Auto Factories down south that foreign Companies get to utilize the amazing American workers for much less than our Big Three do. Oh and lets not forget where that money goes back to. At least Ford, Chrysler, and GM money from China and Mexico come back to our Country.
This is about as Political as I will ever get here. But this bothers me a lot. American workers down South are being taken advantage of because these Big Corporations are lobbying the living Day lights out of our Government (Both Sides) and it is sickening. Why doesn’t Trump call the CEO’s of Foreign Companies to the WH and force them to join the UAW if they’d like to continue building here?
Wouldn’t that make more sense?
If GM can build the Malibu for the same amount Toyota and Honda can build the Camry and Accord, maybe the Malibu would be a better car. Maybe just maybe, the Cruze would be a competitive vehicle and GM wouldn’t have to close or sell the Lordstown Plant.
We lost over 25 billion bailing out these farmers who show up in the white house kissing ass.
Most people have no clue what the bail out really was…..The Big problem was that large American company’s that have been around for many years with many American employees pay out tons of retirement benefits…GM was one of the biggest employers in the USA for years….they had more then double the employees of Ford and the old Chrysler co. thus paying more pensions for its enormous amount of retired American workers.
Most Americans don’t Know that when the Ford motor company was in financial trouble and going under the US government told GM that they could not have monopoly…So GM bought the Ford Buildings in order to bail Ford out (that’s the GM headquarters that you see today…Ford motor co after building that building along with a few other mishaps was in deep financial trouble….and the US government warned GM to help or else.
Unfortunately Mary Barra is the cause of a lot of these issues. She underestimated the political and social fallout of her back job last November. At $22 million a year you think she would have known better.
I agree, not only Ohio but Michigan and perhaps Pennsylvania as well; which were as we remember key to his vary narrow victory in the Electoral College. As a very doubtful (former?) Trump supporter, I tire at his endless whining/tweeting with no real follow up action on his election promises. He talks tariffs without understanding their real economic purpose is to protect domestic production and workers. They are not just bargaining chips in the Globalist casino for the purpose of “better” trade deals. Trade deals are not “free trade” but are managed trade; question is: managed for whose benefit? True free trade requires a “level playing field” not one distorted by currency, wage, and regulatory differences between countries.
I hope the President wakes up soon, before he loses the 2020 election. Put true protective tariffs against all importers (including Mexico and Europe) in place now and Mary Barra and the rest of US manufacturing will soon change their tune.
I hope she pointed out to Trump that the Lordstown plant was closed as a result of him rescinding Obama’s 2025 mpg regulations. The need for a 45 mpg Cruze disappeared. It’ a shame because the Cruze was a great worldwide vehicle, especially in countries where gasoline is 2 and 3 times the price here in the states.
This is going to end in a Disaster. GM will break into pieces. The trucks will be sold off to Navistar. The rest of their operations will be taken over by the Chinese. Ford will gain market share.
If GM has no interest in being an American car company in more than a name, do you really give a crap?
GMs path had been a pretty crappy one lately and they need to either correct their course or buzz off. I don’t care about Canada’s production, but I do care about ours. Someone needs to hold them accountable for closing all these US plants.
It’s a global economy. Every American company, especially those in manufacturing should embrace that if they intend to thrive. Just because GM is heavily involved in the world market, that doesn’t mean they are hurting our economy. How is having an assembly plant in Texas that employs thousands of workers a negative endeavor if they bring component parts in from Mexico for the American workers to use to build GM SUVs at a competitive price?
BMW builds a huge factory in South Carolina employing thousands of Americans. Today, they export more dollars worth of vehicles than any other car company manufacturing in America. Would anyone in their right mind prefer that plant be built in Canada or Mexico? Embrace the fact that the automobile/light truck industry is a global entity and that’s a good thing!
i guess trump is going to ask her why she defied his bigly executive order to stop all manufacturing activities in china.
If you’re a fan of “Sell it Here, Build it Here”, note that GM sells more vehicles in China than the U.S.A….thus the reason for the plants in China.
That slogan certainly would not be relevant to Mexico. GM ships out 800,000 vehicles mostly to the US while they only sell about a tenth of that in Mexico on an annual basis.
Trump should stick to what he knows best. You know – hurricane forecasting.
What’s GM CEO Mary Barra going to tell Trump? Protect profits at the detriment of the American worker. I hope she has her smart hat on.
She needs to be talking to the UAW since they’re about to strike against GM.
“Hi Mr. President. I just wanted one more look at you outside of prison. Toodles.”
So they must be locking you up for talking BS ?
There is not one thing Barra has done that makes you say,’Wow, why didn’t somebody think of that before’?!
Yeah. I find Ford and Honda and Toyota are constantly making me say, wow, why didn’t somebody think of that before?!?
constantly = the amount of times Trump has been faithful to his wives #Pocapornstar
Wow , could of had a V8 and sport a flow tie ? Lol.
???
Let us get one thing straight.
Mary is NOT in charge. She is a pawn ruled by the REAL powers that compensate her quite nicely.
She plays the game very well. Who wouldn’t for that kind of compensation?
Only those with morals and, a conscience.
Her meeting with President Trump, is just a another fluff piece for the press.
If, In fact, egos get ruffled. Both parties will huddle with their respective controllers, and devise a plan to not only conquer the current battle, but, also script a play to make the sheeple feel hopeful.
Maybe I’m wrong?
I hope TRUMP can get her fired now or in his second turn it is the Right thing too do – the Left is warped
Barra needs to go. GM has lost its way and she’s not helping to get them back on track .