Trump thanks Ford for halting Mexico plant – Politico

Ford CEO Mark Fields said his company had not cut a deal with Trump, but that the president-elect's promises to make America more business friendly had played a role in the company's decision. | Getty

One day after criticizing General Motors for manufacturing cars in Mexico, President-elect Donald Trump sung the praises of its chief competitor, Ford Motor Company, for abandoning plans to build a new Mexican plant and build instead in Michigan.

"Thank you to Ford for scrapping a new plant in Mexico and creating 700 new jobs in the U.S. This is just the beginning – much more to follow," Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning.

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Ford announced on Tuesday that it will invest $ 700 million into a plant in Michigan and eliminate plans to build a new facility in Mexico. Ford CEO Mark Fields said his company had not cut a deal with Trump, but that the president-elect's promises to make America more business friendly had played a role in the company's decision.

"We see a more positive U.S. manufacturing business environment under President-elect Trump and the pro-growth policies he's talking about," Fields said Tuesday at the Michigan factory that will get the new investment. "This is a vote of confidence for president-elect Trump and some of the policies he may be pursuing."

Trump campaigned hard on his promise to rebuild America's base of manufacturing jobs, promising to impose a 35 percent tariff on companies that move jobs overseas and then import products back into the U.S. He railed against trade agreements like NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, vowing to tear them up and renegotiate more favorable conditions for American workers.

Trump's praise for Ford came one day after he attacked General Motors for building its Chevrolet Cruze models in Mexico and the importing them back into the U.S. He said the automotive manufacturer should "make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!" In a statement released in response to Trump, GM said it makes all of its Cruze sedans in Ohio and makes some hatchback models in Mexico, most of which are sold internationally although some are brought back into the U.S.