President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that he spoke with General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who said GM will sell the vacant Lordstown factory to Workhorse, an electric truck manufacturer. The president also mentioned that GM is going to invest $700 million into three separate locations in Ohio.
Trump expressed his support for Ohio’s “great governor, and Senator Rob Portman” for their work in filling the GM void. Gov. Mike DeWine, although proud of the achievement, warned that it could be a year before the Cincinnati-based firm Workhorse has the plant up and running.
….in 3 separate locations, creating another 450 jobs. I have been working nicely with GM to get this done. Thank you to Mary B, your GREAT Governor, and Senator Rob Portman. With all the car companies coming back, and much more, THE USA IS BOOMING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2019
“This is probably not yet a day to celebrate … a lot has to happen,” said DeWine. But it would bring “hundreds of jobs” back to the region after the GM closure left more 1,400 people out of work since closing over two months ago.
Workhorse is in the process of obtaining a contract to supply the U.S. Postal Service with electric mail trucks. DeWine mentioned that if the company succeeds in landing the contract, the number of jobs could climb over the years to 3,000. Following the news, Mandy Merritt, regional communications director for the Republican National Committee, offered some proud words on the president’s work with the motor companies.
“President Trump and our Republican leadership were committed to finding a solution for the Lordstown plant, and today’s good news shows they did just that. This is just more of what we’ve come to expect from President Trump’s ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’ agenda,” said Merritt.
“Since taking office, President Trump has been committed to bringing back over 17,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs to Ohio. The economy is roaring, unemployment is low, wages are rising, and jobs are coming back to the state,” she added.
The United Auto Workers Union must negotiate with the automakers before the acquisition can go through. Ohio’s Republican congressmen were thrilled with the news, but some Democrats were skeptical.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said he had no knowledge of the deal until seeing Trump’s tweet.
“We saw the tweet,” Brown told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Lordstown workers can’t cash a tweet. They need paychecks.”
“I want to thank Donald Trump for his help in bringing new production to Lordstown,” tweeted Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH). “I’m hopeful we will see the Lordstown plant humming again.”
DeWine met with representatives from Elio Motors last month to see the E1c, its new car. DeWine mentioned in an interview that he hoped that the company would take over the factory, but Elio Motors quickly dismissed the rumors.
GM also announced Wednesday that it will reinvest in three separate locations in Ohio in the hopes of bringing 450 jobs back to the state. Their proposed sites are the Moraine engine plant, the Parma stamping plant, and the Toledo transmission plant.
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Mitch Shirley is a reporter for The Ohio Star and Battleground State News. Emails tips to [email protected].
Photo “Workhorse Factory” by Workhorse.
