GM Doesn't Take Trump's Tweet Sitting Down
Trump threatened to slap tax on automaker for importing Cruzes
By Kate Seamons, Newser Staff
Posted Jan 3, 2017 9:40 AM CST
newser.com
(NEWSER) – After swinging at China Tuesday morning on Twitter, President-elect Donald Trump set his sights on this continent, tweeting, "General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A.or pay big border tax!" Politico reports that Trump has advocated for the imposition of a 35% tax on American companies that import foreign-made goods into the US. USA Today sees the tweet as a salvo in what's shaping up to be a Trump vs. Auto Industry battle over free-trade policies—and a battle that has thus far targeted Ford. The paper describes Trump as a "noted fan" of the GM-produced Cadillac.
But as far as retorts go, GM's can basically be paraphrased as "small potatoes." In a statement reported by CNBC, the manufacturer states that all Chevrolet Cruze sedans are made domestically, in Lordstown, Ohio. It's only the hatchback model that's made in Mexico, with most of those distributed to foreign markets. Of the 190,000 Cruzes purchased in the US in 2016, about 2.4% (or 4,500) were Mexican-made hatchbacks. The AP has a list of the companies Trump has targeted pre- and post-election on Twitter. A sample: "If @amazon ever had to pay fair taxes, its stock would crash and it would crumble like a paper bag. The @washingtonpost scam is saving it!" Trump tweeted on Dec. 7, 2015. More from that list here. |
