Overview
- The president is set to tour Ford’s Rouge Center in Dearborn, where F-150 pickups are built, and speak to the Detroit Economic Club at MotorCity Casino today as the Detroit Auto Show week begins.
- The visit emphasizes manufacturing policy as U.S. factory employment fell by 8,000 jobs in December, according to the latest data reported by Reuters.
- Ford announced last month that it scrapped plans for an electric F-150 following federal shifts that reduced EV sales targets, eliminated some tax credits and proposed weaker emissions and mileage rules.
- Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says he will cite affordability metrics, with 30-year mortgage rates slipping below 6% after a $200 billion mortgage-bond pledge and national average gasoline at $2.81 per gallon.
- Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel criticized the trip, while Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah called for clearer direction on tariffs and North American trade.