Overview
- The president toured Ford's Dearborn F-150 plant and addressed the Detroit Economic Club to promote his manufacturing agenda and defend broad tariffs.
- He asserted prices are declining and credited tariffs for new plants, while official data show inflation around 2.7% year over year and factory employment down 8,000 in December after months of losses.
- The White House pointed to lower gasoline prices and a dip in 30-year mortgage rates below 6% after a $200 billion mortgage‑bond purchase pledge.
- Ford previously scrapped plans for an electric F-150 following the administration’s rollback of EV targets, tax credits, and emissions rules, highlighting industry responses to policy shifts.
- Institutional tensions persisted as the Justice Department’s grand jury subpoena to Fed Chair Jerome Powell drew bipartisan concern and Trump renewed public pressure for rate cuts.