Ford CEO Jim Farley has the ear of President Donald Trump—and he has a lot to say about what the administration needs to do to support the U.S. auto industry.
Farley said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday the White House has been “great” to work with, but has several asks for how the administration can improve trade to bolster U.S. automakers.
“They always answer the phone,” Farley said. “But there is a long list of things we got to work through.”
Trump visited Ford’s Dearborn, Mich., facility on Tuesday, touring production of the F-150 truck factory, in an effort to show support for U.S. manufacturing amid growing concerns of a weak labor market. Even as American carmakers have poured billions of dollars into reshoring jobs and expanding U.S. production, domestic manufacturing jobs have continued to dwindle. Ford is making a $19.5 billion pivot away from some larger electric vehicle production in favor of less expensive and more hybrid models as it navigates lower EV demand and consumers’ affordability concerns. The move follows Trump’s killing an EV tax credit which went into effect at the end of September.
Addressing threats from Chinese rivals
