Trump calls GM’s CEO in push to reopen Ohio auto plant

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is escalating his pressure on General Motors, as he calls for the company to reopen an Ohio manufacturing plant that recently closed and put 1,700 people out of work.

Trump tweeted March 18 that GM should: “Close a plant in China or Mexico, where you invested so heavily pre-Trump,” and “Bring jobs home!”

Trump travels to politically important Ohio this week. Over the weekend, Trump tweeted that officials should start talks with the United Auto Workers immediately so that the Lordstown plant could be reopened or sold.

General Motors said in a statement the future of plants scheduled to be closed “will be resolved between GM and the UAW.” The automaker said that they had “opportunities available for virtually all impacted employees.”

Trump’s arm-twisting came in a series of separate tweets on March 16 and 17 . He capped his weekend rant against the GM with a tweet disclosing that he had vented his frustrations during a conversation with the company’s CEO, Mary Barra.

“I am not happy that it is closed when everything else in our Country is BOOMING,” Trump wrote. “I asked her to sell it or do something quickly. She blamed the UAW Union – I don’t care, I just want it open!”

The union is the United Automobile Workers, which represents the employees who lost their jobs in the Lordstown closure. Trump had previously told a UAW leader, David Green, to “get his act together and produce” for the Lordstown workers. Green didn’t respond to a request for comment.

General Motors said in a statement the future of plants scheduled to be closed “will be resolved between GM and the UAW.” The automaker also said that it has “opportunities available for virtually all impacted employees” at plants that are to be shuttered.

“We remain open to talking with all the affected stakeholders, but our main focus remains on our employees and offering them jobs in our plants where we have growth opportunities,” the company said.

Even as Trump said he talked to Barra, he was calling on GM to reopen its Lordstown plant or find another owner, while insisting that the Detroit automaker “must act quickly.”

He also blasted GM for letting down the US and asserted “much better” automakers are coming to the country.

Trump praised Toyota for its investments in the US in an apparent attempt to depict GM as being less committed to its home country than the Japan automaker.

The Lordstown closure has become a hot-button issue in an area of Ohio that is expected to be critical for Trump if he seeks re-election as promised in 2020.

Trump prevailed in Ohio in the 2016 election, a win that helped him win enough electoral votes to become president despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.

That may be one reason why Trump joined a coalition of Ohio lawmakers in efforts to get the Lordstown plant running again. The tweets marked some of his most pointed criticism of GM so far.

Trump has skewered several other US companies for not doing more to help their country’s economy, but his remarks so far have been more bark than bite.

For instance, he has publicly called upon Apple to shift most of its manufacturing from China to the US, but the Silicon Valley company continues to make its iPhones and most other products overseas.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, last week expressed doubts GM will reopen its Lordstown plant, but he said the automaker indicated it’s in talks with another company about using the site.

More than 16 million vehicles were made at the Lordstown plant during its 53-year history until GM closed it earlier this month as part of a massive reorganization. The company also intends to close four other North American plants by early next year.