VP Vance Gives His View of Iran 'From the Inside'
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee Sends a Powerful Message to Trump
There's One Thing Trump Has Been Consistent on About Iran
Israel Just Took Out Iran’s New Military Chief—After Only Four Days on the...
Netanyahu Just Dropped a Scathing Threat Against Iranian Leader on Live TV
Did Amy Klobuchar Actually Get Something Right?
Why Trump Stepped Out
Kash Patel Drops Bombshell Related to 2020 Election
Take a Look at Some of the 'Worst of the Worst' Criminal Aliens...
Israeli Ambassador Says Some of Its Actions in Iran Will Make the Beeper...
'Founding Fighters': Jamie Raskin Thinks Mighty Highly of Himself
Here's How a Florida Man Booked 120 Free Flights Before He Got Caught
Iranian History, Life Under the Islamic Republic, and the Current Conflict
House Oversight Committee Seeks Answers From Kari Lake on Foreign Influence Concerns at...
An ICE Raid Took Place in This Town. Americans Were Able to Apply...
Tipsheet

Make America Great Again: Union Concedes Their Poll Probably Didn’t Accurately Gauge Trump Support

During the 2016 campaign, now President-elect Donald J. Trump said he would make it harder for businesses to export their jobs overseas. In 2015, the Ford Motor Company moved its heavy truck production from Mexico to Ohio (via CNN Money):

Advertisement

Ford's heavy duty pickup trucks which used to be built in Mexico started rolling off an assembly line in Ohio this week.

That's good news for the 1,000 Ford workers in Ohio, who might have otherwise been out of work.

It's also good publicity for Ford (F), which has been under fire for investing so much in Mexico. In April, the automaker said it would invest $2.5 billion in transmission plants in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Guanajuato, creating about 3,800 jobs there.

Now, after his upset win over Hillary Clinton, three things are clear in the heartland of the automobile industry: a) Trump won union households; b) labor unions concede that the polling of their members probably didn't accurately gauge Trump support among their members; and c) Ford is now willing to work with a Trump White House on jobs growth and the economy (via Fox Business):

 

Overall, the seven states that have manufactured the most cars so far this year all lined up behind Trump: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri.

[…]

Trump carried 52% of the union vote in the battleground state of Ohio, far better than former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 37% support. About half of Ohio voters believe trade with other countries costs American jobs, while 32% said trade creates jobs. Among those who think trade hurts jobs, 67% backed Trump.

An internal poll by the United Auto Workers union showed 28% support for Trump before the election, and another 6% of members were undecided. However, during a press conference following Trump’s victory, UAW President Dennis Williams conceded that the union’s poll may not have accurately reflected Trump’s overall support among auto workers.

[…]

Trump has threatened to push for tariffs as high as 35% on cars imported from Mexico, arguing that a tax is necessary to encourage companies to focus on building cars in the U.S. Ford CEO Mark Fields defended the company’s record, arguing that manufacturing moved to Mexico was replaced with other models built in the U.S. Chairman Bill Ford revealed in October that he met with Trump to discuss the matter.

Advertisement

After Trump’s victory, Ford released a statement saying it agrees with Trump “that it is really important to unite the country – and we look forward to working together to support economic growth and jobs.”

Trump was able to reach these people by slamming free trade agreements that have long been a source of scorn in these white working class communities or gutting jobs. In the presidential debates, Trump’s economic rhetoric scored high, even with Hillary leaners, though they were thirsty for more details. In short, trade was one of Trump’s biggest weapons to use against Hillary Clinton, whose husband signed the North America Free Trade Agreement into law. In the end, the voters who wanted change—and who saw Trump as the agent who could bring that—won out over Clinton.

Editor’s Note: This post originally reported that the Ford truck production move was recent. It was not. We apologize for the error and the headline has been tweaked to reflect the changes.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement