This article was written by Tyler Durden and originally published at Zero Hedge.
Editor’s Comment: Though his administration is still taking shape, President-elect Trump may be able to claim his first tangible victory. Though Ford Motors were resistant to Trump’s trade policy positions and threatened to move jobs to Mexico, the CEO has now announced that, instead, production will remain American.
Is Trump pulling televangelist-style miracles – with arrangements ahead of time in the back room – or is he making things happen because he is in a position to make good on his policy promises? Either way, Ford and other big companies will be keeping optics in mind when they decide whether or not to play ball with the wild card Trump administration (at this point, still to be). If this actually becomes the trend, perhaps there is a lot of positive that can be done for the economy, and perhaps good paying jobs can return for struggling working class Americans. Only time will tell, but he hasn’t even assumed office yet.
Ford CEO Folds? Trump Confirms Carmaker Won’t Move Production To Mexico
by Tyler Durden
Just hours after Ford CEO complained of the “huge impact” of Donald Trump’s proposed trade plans, following the company’s plan to move a substantial portion of its passenger-car production to Mexico from a factory in Michigan, Donald Trump tweeted “Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky — no Mexico,” seemingly winning his first ‘america-first’ victory.
As WSJ reported yesterday, Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Mark Fields issued a warning about President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed trade policies, saying high tariffs on automobiles and other products coming into the U.S. would be a blow to the auto industry and broader U.S. economy.
Mr. Fields, speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Los Angeles Auto Show on Tuesday, said Ford has talked to Mr. Trump’s transition team and believes the company can work with the new administration. During a separate interview, he said, “We all share the same objective; we want a vibrant and healthy U.S. economy.”
The two sides, however, appear to be at odds on how to achieve that goal.
Ford’s plan to move a substantial portion of its passenger-car production to Mexico from a factory in Michigan was heavily criticized by Mr. Trump on the campaign trail. Like many of its rivals, Ford is building more-profitable light trucks in the U.S. while investing in new capacity in Mexico to produce lower-margin small cars.
And then hours later, Donald Trump tweeted…
Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky – no Mexico
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2016
I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great State of Kentucky for their confidence in me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2016
Which was followed by a statement from Ford confirming Trump’s comment…
This article was written by Tyler Durden and originally published at Zero Hedge.
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It’s about time. We need to start keeping our dollars at home.
In a year – to year and a half, my wife and I plan to buy a Ford Explorer. The major contingency is that it must be built in the USA. My fellow Americans should have those good-paying jobs. Ford’s current plans are to invest in a Chicago-area facility. I hope liberals pay attention to cause-and-effect, Trump will help all Americans that take personal responsibility and are willing to work.
First American Victory:
-Ford stays in the US
-Ford’s upper management decides restructuring the company
-Ford company closes temporarily its facilities and declares massive layoffs
-Ford reopens after several months:
1. Job opportunities paying the minimum wage, part time only, no benefits
2. Unionizing will be considered grounds for employment termination
3. Contractual relationship: EMPLOYMENT AT WILL
Wondering how many “hard working” Americans will accept such employment terms…president-elect Trump truly despises the American workforce for being totally unproductive besides labeling these people as a race of slobs who always beg for entitlements.
You have no idea what you are talking about!
Ford plants may stay in Kentucky but they will just hire more Hispanics!
I work at the KY factory that makes the frames for the Louisville plant, Hispanics are slowly taking over.
The plant never had any intention of moving. They are investing in a new plant in MEXICO. Sorry guys this time Trump had nothing to do with this.
Anonymous @ 1:07 pm, Whatever!
Right, that’s why they called Trump and told him that, and then confirmed it later, because it didn’t happen.
Thanks for clearing that up for us, bud, we appreciate it, seeing as how we’re just mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers and all that.
That claim proved to be only half-true, as Ford’s small car division was indeed shifting production to south of the border, but the workers in the Michigan plant where the small cars are made are actually going to be working on two brand new vehicles for the U.S. market. In short, no jobs were ever at risk, and Ford confirmed as much on Twitter.
Here’s the thing: The Louisville Assembly Plant, which is the factory that Trump is referencing, according to Jalopnik, was — wait for it — never planning to move jobs to Mexico either.
The plant, which makes the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC, never had plans to close to shift its workforce. Ford is, however, planning on making more of the Escape in Kentucky, and will eventually adjust MKC production in order to keep up with demand for the popular Ford SUV.
So, the factory and the jobs were never going to leave, and Ford has confirmed as much. Trump, who has made a habit out of crying wolf, is once again taking credit for something he had no measurable impact on.
Your post is really wrong, but thanks for trying.
TOYLtH, are you talking to Old76 there?
Have you got a legitimate response if so?
Somehow, I doubt it.
I used to drive a ford until it broke down! Now I just walk.
FORD- Fix-Or-Repair-Daily. This will keep a lot of Auto Repair shops busy in the US too.
Do you think Ford would have done this under Hillary? bwhahahahahahaaaaa
Trump is running Circles around Hillary. Hillary would be too busy setting up pedophile hookups to keep Bill happy. And setting up her own lesbo foot massage transition team. No More Bush’s or Clinton’s ever again.
I wonder what the Hillary voters at that Ford plant are now thinking?
It would have been better to move the Ford plant to Mexico. That way when the piece of shit Fords fall apart we could at least then blame the Mexicans.
I have owned Fords for the last 24 years. I finally have had enough and bought a Chrysler and a Chevrolet. I am fed up with Ford’s crappy quality.
Last Ford I owned was 1984 , it was my second one and my last one
I have friends that work there , and i have family and friends that buy them
Ive looked at their new cars, and yes they are still junk
hell my Dads explorer and my moms Lincoln didn’t even have clear coat sprayed on the inside door jambs,, thank god they lease them
total POS
hell the paint on where the door rubs on the weather stripping has worn the paint off the bottom inside edge of my Dads Explorer and its only 1.5 years old .. that door will be a rusted POS in a few more years up here in the rust belt of the USA
been a Chevy Truck guy since 1986 currently own 7 chevy trucks
all of them awesome , and very very few problems , none of them any major repairs ever
my 02 Z71 has about 300K on the odometer and is still going strong
after seeing a few accidents with smaller cars who would want to drive one, let alone put their kid in one?
lets just hope more manufacturing jobs come back here so we can afford these 60,000$ vehicles ..jeeze
EOTS, I’m an old Chevy man myself; that is, the older ones. I’m not crazy about the new ones. My company truck is a 2014 F-150 [I HAD NO SAY IN WHAT BRAND I COULD GET]. No major issues with it yet but I’m not holding my breath. My next POV will be an old Chevy truck from the 90s. They’re all over the streets in my area and parts are still plentiful.
in the past 60 yrs I’ve had every auto made from Hudsons to Nash Ramblers, some only lasted a few days back when you could buy a car for 15 dollars. always seem to go back to Fords, my first was a 49, flathead.
I had luck with Fords. I had a Taurus that I ran to 135K and its the AC that went necessitating selling it. I bought it with 47K and it never had anything other than maintenance. Fords do have powerful AC.
The CEOs original claim that stopping NAFTA would hurt the auto industry is a play with words. Like the old saying, “Whats good for GM is good for America” had validity when the GM vehicles were made in the US. Who cares about about ford if their facilities are out of the US? Certainly not me.
My BMW would smoke any Ford or Chevy.
I buy vehicles to drive, not fix or repair.
“Any” Ford or Chevy? Keep on dreaming.
Ford: FOUND ON THE ROAD DEAD! FIX OR REPAIR DAILY! FUCKED OVER REBUILT DODGE! FUCKED OFF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT! FIRST ON RACE DAY!
“Thinking”?
… well you answered your own question there.
Imagine it’s something along the lines of duuuuh.
?
God bless Donald J. Trump and God Bless America !!!!
?
I feel certain once Trump gets into office, he will lift all EO’s that have handcuffed the American businesses
They have been bugging everyone on who is Trump picking for various positions. Right after he makes his first picks the Democrats are on the attack saying he not diversified enough.
You whiney bastards, you are no better than rabid dogs.
Your party is so ate up with the STUPID SHIT that you are now trying to figure out what went wrong with the election.
Any of those who said they would leave if Trump won,
done so?
I am not as forgiving As Trump so I say to those Democrats that can’t make the change.
Go Fuck Yourselves.
Want to go to war?
I can accommodate that too.
Amen + 1000
Seeee you know what you guys (Dems) have just done?
Given a position with… now nearly unchecked executive Emperor-like powers… and a completely nebulous “whatever the hell I say it is” definition of “terrorist”… to your mortal enemy.
What did I say when you guys were creating this shit (or at least not turning it off)? Opening it up this wide is going to come back and bite you in the ass…
Good point, but the Republicans also allowed George W. Bush to seize an incredible amount of power after 9/11, which in turn rippled into Patriot Act, NDAA and beyond. Obama did nothing to improve that, but he was more quiet about it, while silencing journalists and ramping up executive power (of the pen, of the drone, of the agency, etc). Now, both parties have given Trump a wide berth for destruction. Is anything left to keep a potential dictator in check? Is anything left to guarantee our rights?
I’m surprised Mac, that you believe the Patriot act was created after 9/11. It was released afterwards, but it was created before. Likely in anticipation of such an event. (Or more likely… created for that event specifically).
agreed. The Patriot Act was waiting in the wings prior to 911. 911 just ushered it in. Those souls lost were no less important than Bengahzi.
It was written up before the Oklahoma City bombing, but as Rumsfeld said later…. not enough people died there to get it passed. All they got was the 1996 Antiterrorism Act, a watered down version of what they wanted. Most of the more onerous portions of that act were set to expire at the end of 2001. The Patriot act, with all old and several new provisions, was signed into law October 26th, 2001.
Timing is everything.
The Facts are the DHS, Patriot Act, and the 15,000 pages Tarp Ban bail-out scam were all created years in advance of these events, that triggered their inception.
These were all devices to strip Americans of their Wealth and Freedoms. The DHS was created to consolidate Control and power of many Governmental Agencies and create one voice by the few. So they control all aspects of investigation and enforcement, and control of liberty and freedoms. Eliminating any conflict of check and balances to keep them honest.
Americans need to quickly educate themselves how conniving and deliberate these acts were, under the guise of false flags etc. Wake up America you’ve been ripped off and you should be pissed as hell and are not going to take it any longer.
Mac, NDAA was out there way back in the 1980’s as it was then called, and before that, back into the 1950’s, and called the Internal Security Act of 1950. And each President after that, keep adding to it. Americans just became more aware of it after 9-11.
No, our choices for a course of action are dwindling,
2nd ammendment Mac
Anon, if the libturds want to go to war with me, they’re committing suicide. I also say they can go f#$% themselves.
Count me in, im sick and tired of these idiot left political appointees or their employees,,, whole nother kinda stupid
Nailbanger, you ‘nailed’ it again. Can’t fix stupid but you can put it out of its misery.
Braveheart1776 and Nailbanger
I keep on getting ready.
Prep tip of the day.
Those jelly bags you get with those picnic bags are good in a medical emergency. Just pop the in the fridge to cool down or the microwave for warm packs. You will need a cloth covering so you do no burn the skin or get frost bite. You can find them in the cookware area in the store.
Thank you Ford Motor Company! This will not be forgotten!
Bada Bing Bada Boom! Woulda been gone under Clinton! Epic save, epic win for Trump!
My first Ford I still have for almost 17 years. It has served me well. Just glad we are keeping our plant here in the U.S.
Good news albeit a small step. My’95 F-150 running like a top.
Just got a 16 F350 with the deisel in it, baby got balls
Trump can only claim a partial win as even if the move was made it would not affected jobs.
Ford did say thy it did like the coming changes.
Nonsense. A plant kept open in the US means jobs stay in the US and spin off into more jobs. There’s no such thing as a zero sum game when it comes to jobs in the US. Send them out of the country, and 3 jobs disappear for each factory job lost. Keep them in the US, and 3 jobs don’t disappear.
Not to mention, a factory kept in the US can always add another shift, insource materials, things like that, and keep expanding employment based around the factory. Move it abroad, the potential for expansion goes with it.
Factory jobs are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They exist in a nation’s borders and provide impetus to the economy of the nation. It’s not a zero sum game.
Heads Up.
From Fox News.
Trump Supporters and Trump Protesters in NYC tonight.
This ought to be good. ;0)
Sounds like a Texas Fandango. Big occasion, lots of drink and dancing until the fighting starts. Then its knuckle and skull, batter ’em down and if you stay down you get stomped.
My bet is on the Trump supporters!
Has anyone else noticed that the Baltic Dry Index is zooming up (1,231 yesterday)? It’s over half-way up to its peak at the end of 2013 (2,330 on 12-13-2013). Does it have anything to do with one of the major shippers going bankrupt, or is it something else?
ht tps://www.bloomberg.com/quote/BDIY:IND
Dollar up, Euro down, Sterling down. Shipping follows.
Obituary, L. Stream Media 1888-2016
Mr. L. Stream Media, aged 128, passed away last Tuesday in New York City, after battling terminal illness with cancer of the throat for several decades. Media never actually did fight the cancer, but managed to live on anyway through inertia, moral dihonesty and intellectual laziness.
Media was pre-deceased by parents John Truth and Sally Honesty, as well as children Honor Virtue and Frank Ness.
Services for the passing of Media be held at the Mosque of Gay Sharia, where he regularly attended. Media – who had requested to called ze, not he, in keeping with his not identifying as male, female or dolphin – will be eulogized Reverends Jezebel Jackson and Al Notso-Sharpton.
Following the service, the mosque will be conducting a 21-gun salute into a crowd of innocent women and children bystanders to commemorate Media’s contribution to the cause of the mosque, followed by a march to smash windows and cars as a celebration of what he stood for.
In lieu of flowers, donations (unmarked bills only, please) can be made, as usual, to the Clinton Foundation, Learjet Leftists of the World Unite! or the Chelsea Guevara for Congress funds.
Please! No light will be allowed during the service, as it might disinfect the corpse.
Mr. Media requested that the famed quote from former CBS President Richard Salant be inscribed on this tombstone, to typify the work he did over the years: ““Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have.”
I have a 97 f150 it went 435,000 miles , still had good compression. The gaskets were wearing out. The transmission has gone 500,000 now and is still going.
Because of the ultra low tolerances and consistency that are possible in modern manufacture 5w 20, a very thin oil, replaced the almost by comparison STP 10w 40 of the the 1960s. Automobile Lube Oil (which I know a little bit about), even petroleum based is far better than its 1980s counterpart in that the best base stocks then would be comparable with the worst today. Synthetic oil is literally off the chart. The Achilles Heel of modern vehicles is the electronics.
It took me a while to wean myself off the 30W oil of my youth.
The best oil at any weight is Penzoil. It comes out of the ground requiring the least refinement of any of them. It’s just the right mixture of dinosaurs, depth, pressure, and time. It’s perfectly cooked, according to a geologist buddy.
I’ll take Mobil 1. Petroleum based oil is a lubricant by accident, synthetic is great on purpose. A Mobil Research facility was a sister to the refinery I worked at. Every so often we would get our hands on documents that were internal. They had an engine lab there that looked like a hospital surgical room. Cars could be put in any ambient environment and tested. They would buy new cars, blueprint the engine and run it under varied load and conditions. They would then break it down and check every tolerance. An engine or engines with Mobil 1 was run for 200K and it was still in factory specifications. Mobil 1 viscosity doesn’t vary near as much as petroleum based oil with changes in temperature and gasoline doesn’t dilute into it. Even their petroleum oils are the best in the business.
Agreed. If I bought a new car, a good synthetic is the only way to go, modern engines are built to extremely close tolerances.
http://allnewspipeline.com/The_Danger_Zone_Till_January_20_2017.php
Try some of this, now isn’t this interesting, look at the timing. Like I said, Economist V is the man we really need to pay attention to. When I asked the scientist what he taught about the Trump win, he smiled and told me that nothing has changed, because the insider that he knows who worked for the cabal told him, that Extra Exterrestrials, a rogue element, that’s reptilian took over this planet thousands of years ago and have installed the Human Hybrid extra Terrestrials.
Lady Barbara Byrd is one of the arcons. And this is real. See this link to learn what the bastards really have up in orbit, its called project Leonid. Listen to the link below and see the other link, and see a real Arcon extra terrestrial talking publically, see the body language and take a real good look at that woman. And from what I was told, Tony Sanchez is 100% on the money and so is Jay Weidner, its all 100% real.. The source that talks to my scientist friend has confirmed a lot of this stuff. Take a look at that woman in this video, see that position she is in and you can see who controls the financial systems. And get ready to see the massive agency ass clown troll attack that follows. Sorry trolls but I am going to out bastards. You will figure out why Tony Sanchez face is so twisted and contorted, from a bio weapon attack on him at the Dulce new Mexico blacktops base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewXLRK8hQW0
Barbara Byrd, the Arcon extra terrestrial out in the open right in front of us. She is the Anunaki. She is the reptilian I was told. Look closely at her body language. I guess she taught that by coming out in public to steer thinking, that we would think other wise, but we know what this women is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_on-Pvf3M
HCKS.
Hicks ?????? time for you to electrify your tin foil hat. As for fords I would rather have a neighbor that had a Chevrolet that I could bum a ride in than own a ford.
Winning!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pipTwjwrQYQ
you’re all reading blindly…
how does the Lincoln plant in Kentucky affect the movement of the Michigan plant to Mexico?
they are separate issues to an extent, READ AND THINK dammit
The article mentions a factory in Michigan going to Mexico, yet Trump crows about a factory staying in Kentucky? What about the factory in Michigan? Like Kennedy getting rid of missles in Turkey so Kruchev would take missles out of Cuba.
The leftists are saying Trump is lying and the plant was never going to Mexico in the first place.
Guess that explains why the CEO called Trump and told him the plant was not being moved, and then later confirmed it, because it didn’t happen.
Our individual preferences for vehicles is what makes us unique. Have never owned a honda for example, but would consider buying one. (A CRV)
It’s a guess – American vehicle manufacturers did not produce the best quality with deliberate intent. Thus other car manufacturers got market share.
Was told that ford case hardened some engine blocks years back as a expiriment. Folk who knew, kept the engines. Because they outlasted the body.
Have owned ford escorts thru the years. The current one have owned about 10 years.
I’m a Ford dealer mechanic in a small town. At my dealership, I work on more new Chevy trucks than I do Fords. I’m not a Ford fan, for the record. I own a newer F250 and 3 old Jeeps. I put my wife in a CRV.
That being said, for a long time I was a Honda mechanic, dealer trained. Google or Youtube Million Mile Accord. Honda did it right. Americans can do the same, but don’t. Why?
Stephen, planned obsolescence.
I read once that Ford’s plan was to sell the average man 7 cars in his lifetime.
If they last too long, that won’t happen.
new cars, that is.
Yes… in the early 80’s. Same plan that all American brands had. They wanted a car that lasted for your 5 year note… or 80-100k. See Ford Escort, Chevy Malibu, Buick Skylark, Chrysler’s K-Car. The late 80’s auto sales went to imports because of that, so American manufacturing had to correct to get market share.
Planned obsolescence cost American auto manufacturers a decade or so of sales. They got better. I honestly wish they got a LOT better, but American unions bake so much cost into a vehicle that it’s hard for them to compete. I’ve no idea how to fix that…. just reporting from the front lines on this issue.
This is a good start, but I want to see those millions of third world illegals deported, and the border wall built pronto!
I wonder, in a somewhat related way, will Trump now direct the Dept of Labor to report ACCURATE unemployment rates as opposed to the fictional numbers that have been given over the last 8 years that EXCLUDES those whose unemployment benefits ran out and who are otherwise eligible for the workforce yet still out of work? Now THAT was a long, run-on question. Yet it has been a long run-on 8 years of people devastated by the fact that the stats WERE fabricated and that evaded the contributing factors of jobs that the administration made possible for illegals to be hired to do.
Of course, that would be a TRUE test of whether Trump truly IS sincere. For doing this would suddenly show a substantial and immediate rise in the unemployment rate at the start of his presidency.
While his promises to do, as well as UNDO, many things that we want to see done, I wonder if he will even be able to do a fraction of them.
“Oh Say, can you see?….” hold on a second…maybe I could could have a better chance of seeing if I had some of those “special eyeglasses”……!
“Donald Trump” FAKE LATEX HAND!! DISGUISE!! ACTOR!! ROLE!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L34M6hCuDno&feature=youtu.be
That is really weird.
They’re 70 yr. old hands, though. A few wrinkles are allowed.
Still strange.
This is only ONE instance; however, there are others still moving out of the country. Remember the euphoria after the election of one Barack Obama?
And all those jobs supposedly returning to the USA will mean the Americans who get those jobs will expect higher wages than the Mexicans or Chinese got, which will result in higher prices (and hopefully higher quality). So get ready to pay more for your stuff under dear Mr Trump.
And no, I’m not a liberal, I’m actually ultra-conservative, just stating the reality of things.
Well, you gotta HAVE a job to pay ANY price, just saying
Beginning with a Buick Wildcat in 1972, I’ve owned a number of Buicks, an AMC Hornet, a Triumph, a Volkswagen, several Chevrolets, a Plymouth, a Dodge, a Pontiac, and several Fords. They all had design and build quality problems and crappy dealer service.
Since 2010 I’ve been driving a Subaru and couldn’t be more satisfied.
I’ve had many cars and trucks over the years, but always had the best luck with Fords. Bought a 91 Ford van six years ago, it still runs great and I’ve never had any problems whatsoever with it. It’s got duel tanks and a 5.0 which gets decent mileage for a full size van. Vans are great to work out of !