【By Guan察者网, Ruan Jiaqi】
"Let China come in!" (让中国进来！) Trump ranted on the podium, boasting how foreign investment in U.S. manufacturing would create jobs.
Listening to his passionate speech, the veteran American car tycoons sitting in the audience fell silent, feeling a mix of emotions.
As the first major domestic event of the 2026 U.S. midterm election year, on January 13 local time, Trump visited Michigan and delivered a one-hour speech at the Detroit Economic Club, emphasizing his administration's tariff policies, environmental regulation cuts, and other policies, claiming these measures are driving a new boom in the U.S. auto industry.
Reports from The New York Times and The Guardian mentioned that Ford CEO Jim Farley and other American automotive leaders have been worried, as Chinese automakers are currently blocked out of the U.S. market by tariff barriers, otherwise U.S. automakers would be unable to cope.
Trump's visit coincided with the Detroit Auto Show. This week, the three major automakers of the "City of Cars", Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, all showcased their latest innovations at the exhibition.
With this group of industry executives present, Trump reiterated his openness to foreign automakers building factories in the U.S.
"If they want to build factories in the U.S., hire you, your family, friends, and neighbors, that's great, I'm all for it," he said, "Let Chinese automakers come in, let Japanese ones come in. They're already taking action, and they'll soon build factories using our labor force."
Trump giving a speech in Detroit, media video screenshot
Local media also mentioned that when talking about American manufacturing, Trump talked at length, "This is precisely the patriotic spirit of free enterprise we are reviving now."
He continued to claim that his administration is reclaiming America's dignity and reshaping its wealth, "We place hardworking, value-creating American citizens at the core of all our actions. It is they who built America, and it is they who will make America great again. At present, they are carrying out this mission on an unprecedented scale."
However, The New York Times pointed out that despite being in the car city of Detroit, Trump rarely mentioned the automobile industry in his speech, instead focusing on promoting tax cuts for the auto industry and a series of measures to repeal clean air regulations and fuel economy standards.
At the height of his enthusiasm, he boasted, "I ended the war against internal combustion engines."
According to Associated Press, before delivering his speech, Trump toured Ford's production center in Dearborn, Michigan, accompanied by Ford CEO Jim Farley, Executive Chairman Bill Ford, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, to promote his initiatives to boost American manufacturing and dispel concerns about a weak job market and rising prices affecting American consumers' economic interests.
"All American automakers are doing well," Trump said self-servingly, then added, "The quality of these cars is incredible."
He also emphasized in the factory that his administration had imposed high tariffs on imported cars from China and expressed hope to win in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of his large-scale tariff policy.
Despite there being no evidence, Trump insisted to reporters that his tariff system was driving a wave of new car factory construction.
"The number of factories being built domestically has reached an all-time high," Trump proudly bragged.
During his tour of the car factory, Trump stopped to give an interview to the press. Regarding the proposal to renegotiate the USMCA, he showed indifference.
"I think they (the other two countries) want to renegotiate," Trump said when referring to the other two countries, "But I don't care at all."
He bluntly stated that the U.S. does not need cars from Canada or Mexico, and he would rather see them manufactured in the U.S.
Trump won the support of Michigan in both 2016 and 2024. This visit to Michigan was his third trip to a swing state this month to promote his economic policies. Previously, in November, the Republican Party performed poorly in local elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and other areas due to ongoing public concerns over economic issues.
The New York Times reported that Trump's high-profile speech content seriously contradicted the reality. Data shows that the number of auto manufacturing jobs in Michigan has been declining since 2023; nationwide, manufacturing has been cutting jobs for eight consecutive months, with automakers alone cutting about 28,000 positions in the past year.
Analysts and some industry executives also pointed out that electric vehicles are gaining popularity in markets outside the U.S., and U.S. automakers may risk falling behind in this area.
As the center of the automotive industry, Michigan was expected to see electric vehicles occupy a larger share of the car market in the coming years, planning to invest billions of dollars in battery production plants, vehicle charging stations, and other electric vehicle infrastructure. However, with the shift in the Trump administration's policies, these construction plans have now stalled.
For example, Ford previously saw the Trump administration lower the target of achieving more than half of new electric vehicle sales by 2030, eliminate electric vehicle tax credits, and propose relaxing tailpipe emission and fuel efficiency standards. Although Ford has invested billions of dollars in overall electrification, it announced last December that it would abandon the plan to produce an electric version of the F-150 pickup truck.
To add insult to injury, throughout 2025, the majority of time for automotive executives was spent dealing with Trump's unpredictable tariff policies, which have cost companies billions of dollars. Meanwhile, the automakers also had to deal with the ripple effects of Trump's trade wars, including China's countermeasures against rare earth permanent magnets.
Trump himself specifically praised the 25% tariffs he imposed last March on all imported foreign cars and car parts. According to CNN, about half of the cars sold in the U.S. market are imports, and even cars assembled in the U.S. have a large proportion of components sourced from abroad.
Before this week's Detroit Auto Show, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told the Automotive Press Association that the regulatory changes by the Trump administration, such as eliminating the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit and gradually relaxing tailpipe emission regulations, had forced General Motors to adjust its product plans.
"I was a bit surprised by some automakers quickly choosing to step back because we simply don't know what will happen in 2029, 2030, or 2032," Mary Barra added, expressing her hope that General Motors would remain flexible to adapt to potential regulatory changes in future governments.
However, she also said that General Motors still believes that as charging facilities become more convenient and vehicle prices gradually decrease, electric vehicles will eventually become popular in the U.S., and battery-powered cars remain the "ultimate game" of the industry.
"Without incentives, the transition to pure electric vehicles will take longer, but I still believe we will achieve this goal eventually," she said.
This article is exclusive to Observer, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7595024951750197786/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.