2018-12-14 from:
The largest U.S. automaker has come under enormous criticism in Washington after it announced plans to close four plants in the United States and cut up to 15,000 jobs in North America.
Trump questioned GM CEO Mary Barra's business strategy in an interview with Fox News. "They've changed the whole model of General Motors. They've gone to all-electric. All-electric is not going to work ... It's wonderful to have it as a percentage of your cars, but going into this model that she's doing I think is a mistake," Trump said.
GM shares fell 1.4 percent in trading Thursday.
"We continue to produce great vehicles today for our customers while taking steps toward our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion," GM said. "As we previously stated, our focus remains on our employees currently working at the impacted plants in Maryland, Michigan and Ohio. Our announcement was timed to enable interested employees job opportunities that are available at other GM plants beginning in early 2019.
"We continue to produce great vehicles today for our customers while taking steps toward our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion."
Trump suggested that a new free trade deal with Mexico and Canada makes it "very uncomfortable" for GM to build cars outside the United States.
"I don't like that General Motors does that... General Motors is not going to be treated well," he said without elaborating.
Trump signed a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada on Nov. 30 to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, but that deal has not been approved by the U.S. Congress.
The deal boosts the North American content requirements for vehicles to be traded tariff free and requires a significant percentage of vehicles to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour.