Posted on 06/25/2025 4:39:23 AM PDT by bert
General Motors CEO Mary Barra has publicly cozied up to the Trump administration in recent months, including promoting a major investment in the United States last week, but her tenure at the company has included several examples of the company shipping production and jobs overseas.
"I'm actually looking forward to working with the president and with the administration, because I think we can grow the importance of the auto industry and manufacturing, and so I think there's a lot that we have in common," Barra said about the incoming Trump administration in December 2024.
This month, GM announced that it is investing $4 billion in its U.S. plants over the next two years to boost the manufacturing of gas and electric vehicles in a move that was hailed by many on social media.
The announcement comes two years after GM had pledged $13 billion to U.S. plants over the next five years as part of a settlement to end a UAW strike. Two of the sites mentioned in 2023, the Orion Assembly plant and Spring Hill Manufacturing plant, are mentioned in the 2025 announcement.
A GM spokesperson told Fox Business after publication that the 2025 investment is a new investment.
Despite the investment and Barra’s recent willingness to work with the Trump administration, a Fox News Digital review found several examples of GM closing U.S. plants and becoming a fixture producing overseas.
GM has closed three U.S. plants since 2018, in Michigan, Ohio, and Baltimore, and converted a fourth to electric vehicles, Detroit News reported.
"Very disappointed with General Motors and their CEO, Mary Barra, for closing plants in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland," Trump posted on social media at the time. "Nothing being closed in Mexico & China. The U.S. saved General Motors, and this is the THANKS we get!"
In 2024, GM was described in a Mexico Business News report as the largest vehicle manufacturer in Mexico.
Additionally, in 2024, Bloomberg reported that GM imported more automobiles into the United States than any other car company, exceeding Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. The report said that nearly half of all the vehicles GM sold in the United States last year were made overseas.
Since 2015, the year after Barra took over, GM has dropped 12 points in the Kogod Auto Index, an American University tracker that ranks car manufacturers on how American their cars are.
"GM is just the latest of companies to play the America First card, while shipping jobs and production overseas," a senior GOP operative told FOX Business. "President Trump has been the single greatest job creator this country has ever seen."
Barra has publicly supported President Trump’s tariff agenda despite the company saying it would financially hurt them, which the Wall Street Journal said in an op-ed was a decision made in "hopes of preserving some influence with the White House and warding off worse policy harm."
"This is a classic example of a big corporation cozying up to a political office holder to garner influence," Heritage Foundation Chief Economist EJ Antoni told FOX Business. "Instead of making vehicles people actually want, for a price they can afford, with American labor and American materials, GM has failed on all four counts, all because it was banking on Democrats forcing consumers into EVs."
Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Barra has "staked her legacy on EVs" and has chosen to "stay the course" on EV production rather than follow other carmakers who have shifted more production back to gas and hybrid.
In a letter to shareholders last month, Barra made a point of saying she is "grateful to President Trump for his support of the U.S. automotive industry."
Antoni told FOX Business that GM will "need to do more than pay lip service to President Trump’s agenda if it wants to turn the corner from this misguided bet on EVs."
"GM foolishly went all-in on the transition to electric vehicles, and that bet hasn’t paid out. When you look at political donations, GM and its affiliates have been giving much more money to Democrats, including Kamala Harris, than Republicans—another bet that hasn’t paid out," Antoni continued.
"Not only was GM on the wrong side of politics, but on the wrong side of consumer preferences. Put simply, people don’t want the electric vehicles GM makes, at least not in the numbers they’ve been produced. The only way GM would’ve been able to push such cars on consumers would be if the government forced it. Without the strongarm of the state, however, GM stands to lose big time out on its wrongheaded bet that Democrats would shove the green new scam down everyone’s throats."
The amount of GM's UAW workers also appears to have shrunk since Barra took the helm from 73,000 employees in 2007 to just 45,000 in 2024.
GM must be allowed to fail and be destroyed under the Trump Administration
Her pretty face is going to hell. There was time when she was too cute to fail but now that time has gone.
I gave up on GM years ago. They do not make anything even remotely interesting save for the ‘Vette. The quality of their politics equalled the quality of their products.
Not the only one cozying up.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14841111/donald-trump-iran-israel-ceasefire-live-updates-tehran.html
Trump is a ‘daddy’ who has used ‘strong language’ to stop the warring parties in the Middle East, NATO chief Mark Rutte suggested.
The US president said during a press conference that he believes the ceasefire between Iran and Israel will hold because they have had enough of fighting.
Actually, all the targets on the IDF list have already been destroyed.
And on the other side, Iran is running out of the capability to fire missiles
If you say so. Trump said was like it was like Hiroshima. Remember those who defend these acts own them also.
It really doesn’t matter. It’s done an over.
The decision to proceed or cease will be made in Israel by those who actually know what the damage was and what happened.
Trump is pretending that peace is more valuable than war
That the point. It’s not over. The hatred against the US and Israel was refreshed for another generation. While the arrogant sit safe and applaud an act that they would be horrified and calling for strikes if Russia did it.
You mean the same people that allowed 10/7 to occur....?
GM has always been a very political major corporation. That it lifts its finger to see which way the political winds are blowing is nothing new.
Pretty much, honestly I don’t think that is a bad thing in the companies best interest usually.
If Trump though this was so important, since Iran was no closer to nukes that his first term, when he killed a high ranking Iranian figure with a drone strike. Why the rush then? I doubt you realized the self damage he did to himself. But you will, with time, and If he stuck to what he said and made *America* great which means working on American problems And not giving into flattery by Israel saying Trump is Cyrus, come again to save Israel. While Israel wants to destroy all perceived enemies. Sooner of later Israel will have to pay a price without Trump there to protect it. They set this in motion.
Living under metaphorical rocks neo isolationists can’t comprehend there are American security risks in the real world
There are also Imaginary bogymen politicians use to do things the people wouldn’t otherwise support.Trump is pretending that peace is more valuable than war
Ugh.... what pretty face... at least she has “some” experience in the field of automotive unlike the women overlooking the automotive department at the local technical college. Friggin administrators and GM still sux.
GM and its affiliates have been giving much more money to democrats a bet that hasn’t paid out.
Mary Barra goes panhandling
“General Motors CEO Mary Barra...”
All that I need to read - bitch should have been fired by the Board the day she sucked up to the Democrats, rather than GM’s CUSTOMERS (remember them?).
Whatever happened to “What’s good for GM is good for America”?................
Can you say “Bail-out”?
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