Donald Trump’s long-planned and anticipated visit to the Ford plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, finally happened on May 21. This is one of the Ford facilities that have been partly converted to making PPEs, and POTUS walked away declaring himself satisfied with what he’d seen.
Trump also made a point of praising Ford for the hard work done during these challenging times and for its contribution in fighting the virus, by delivering the much-needed PPEs to first-responders. He also said that Ford executives were among the first calling him to ask what they could do to help, when the crisis started.
“Because of the virus, Ford was forced to stop automobile production for the first time since World War II,” POTUS said during a speech in front of factory personnel and media representatives. You can see it in full at the bottom of the page. “That's something,” he continued, adding that Ford bosses called him to ask “the most American of all questions, ‘How can we help?’”
Because of Ford’s efforts, the United States is now in a position to offer ventilators and other equipment to no less than five other countries, the President explained.
He also said nice words about the new Bronco, whose premiere has been delayed by the ongoing crisis, calling it a “big winner” and a “great success” even though there are no actual numbers to back these descriptions up. A figure that does exist is the number of jobs that will be created when the Bronco goes into production.
“I just heard you’re going to be having 2,000 more jobs right down the road for the Bronco,” Trump said, further praising Ford.
The official visit didn’t go down without some controversy, though, sparked by the President’s refusal to be seen by the media wearing a mask. In typical Trump fashion, he told reporters he had tested “positively towards the negative” that very morning, so there was no need for him to wear one – though he did backstage, in areas where Ford was adamant about mask-wearing.
“Bill Ford encouraged President Trump to wear a mask when he arrived. He wore a mask during a private viewing of three Ford GTs from over the years. The President later removed the mask for the remainder of the visit.”
— Michael Martinez (@MikeMartinez_AN) May 21, 2020
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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