General Motors CEO Mary Barra is to meet with US president Donald Trump and White House officials on Thursday just days after GM came under attack from Trump, the White House confirmed late last night, Reuters reported.
The news agency, citing three sources, had reported earlier the pair would discuss issues including trade, ongoing contract talks and revising vehicle fuel efficiency standards.
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The White House confirmed Trump would meet with Barra at 1:45pm EDT (6.45pm BST/5.45pm GMT)in the Oval Office.
Reuters noted Trump had again, last Friday, criticised GM on Twitter saying the company “which was once the Giant of Detroit, is now one of the smallest auto manufacturers there”.
GM declined to comment to the news agency on the meetings.
Last week, Trump suggested GM should begin moving operations back to the US from China.
“They moved major plants to China, BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE…. Now they should start moving back to America again?” the president said on Twitter.
GM did not directly comment on Trump’s tweet last week but said its China operations “are not a threat to US jobs”.
Foreign manufacturers who want to sell cars in volume at competitive prices must produce them locally to avoid hefty import tariffs hence the numerous joint ventures between the foreign automakers and Chinese companies to make and distribute vehicles. Tit-for-tat tariffs imposed on complete vehicles shipped to or from China to the US have already led to sourcing changes and Volvo has recently opened a new assembly plant to make cars both for the US market – replacing imports – and export.
Reuters said Trump’s anger at GM comes as contract talks between the United Auto Workers union and the Detroit Three automakers intensify ahead of a 14 September contract expiration. This week, the UAW selected GM as its initial target to reach a deal.
GM’s decision to close four plants in the United States is a central issue in the contract talks.
Trump has made boosting auto jobs a key priority and has often attacked automakers on Twitter for not doing enough to boost US employment, Reuters said.
Trump has previously attacked GM for building vehicles in Mexico and for ending production at plants in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland. He has threatened to cut GM subsidies in retaliation and in June rejected a request to waive tariffs on Chinese-made Buick Envisions.
But Trump praised GM for entering talks to sell an idled northeast Ohio plant to a cash-strapped electric truck-building company.
Trump has also warned GM not to join Ford and three other automakers in backing a voluntary deal with California for stricter fuel economy standards than the Trump administration has proposed.
Reuters said GM had not backed the agreement, arguing that it does not properly credit the company’s electric vehicles. Even so, Trump tweeted last month the founders of Ford and GM were “‘rolling over’ at the weakness of current car company executives” in the face of fuel efficiency rules.
