Former President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday, without any factual basis, that Chinese automakers had recently decided not to continue building massive auto plants in Mexico after his repeated threats of tariffs if he returned to the White House.
Speaking at the Chicago Economic Club, Trump said an acquaintance he called “John” told him Sunday that Chinese companies had decided not to continue building beyond the foundation after hearing his threats of tariffs.
“I ran into (John) and I said, ‘How are you? How have you been doing?’ I said. ‘Can I ask you how those plants you mentioned, those giant plants you’re building in Mexico are going? How are they going? Have you finished them?'” Trump said without offering the full name of his supposed construction friend.
Since at least 2023, Trump has repeated the false idea that Chinese auto companies are building the world’s largest car factories in Mexico, but so far there are no records of any Chinese auto company starting operations of such magnitude.
For months, Trump has repeated the false idea of the construction of massive Chinese car plants in Mexico without having any factual basis and it was even part of his main speech during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he was sworn in as a presidential candidate.
“‘Mr. (Trump), they abandoned the project when they knew you were running (for President). They abandoned the project (of the massive plants) when they saw that you were going to win (the US Presidency) and seeing that you were doing well,” Trump said, quoting his friend who is unknown to exist.
“I happened to meet this guy (John). He looked at me and said, ‘Sir, (the Chinese) have abandoned (the work). They had already built the foundations and were ready to do it. They were going to do it.
“I was telling them publicly (the Chinese) that they would not sell a single car to the United States. I told them that if I governed this country, if I were President of this country, I would impose a tariff of 100, 200, 2 thousand percent. They would not sell a single (Chinese) car to the United States.”
Although some Chinese automotive companies have said they are considering establishing themselves in Mexico – including firms such as Chirey Motor, MG Motor and BYD – so far the only Chinese presence in the country is relatively modest with the JAC automotive plant in Hidalgo that dates back to 2017 and operates in alliance with the Mexican businessman Carlos Slim.
According to the most recent data, JAC’s production in Mexico in 2023 was just 22,519 vehicles, a very modest amount that is also destined for the local market; the size does not compare with the 722,631 units that the American General Motors produced in Mexico in 2023.
I also stopped John Deere, says Trump
Trump’s streak of lies did not end there, as he argued that the American multinational of tractors and agricultural equipment, John Deere, had also decided not to move jobs to Mexico thanks to its threats.
“John Deere is a great company. A year ago they announced that they were going to build big plants outside the United States… They were going to build them in Mexico,” Trump said, without the information being entirely true.
“Yesterday they announced that they probably won’t build them. That’s fine. I made sure to keep the jobs here and I will keep them. John Deere will stay here,” he added, without presenting any verifiable data on whether his tariff threats have stopped any displacement of jobs to Mexico.
Present in Mexico since 1959, when it opened its first plant in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, the John Deere company – whose corporate headquarters are in Moline, Illinois – has plants in Coahuila (Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, Torreón) in addition to having an exclusive export lane to Texas on the Colombia Bridge
Source: reforma
