Trump says he’d be ‘OK’ with Chinese automakers building cars in the U.S., but not if they’re made in Mexico first

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would accept Chinese automakers opening factories inside the United States. He made the comments in an interview on the Fox News program, The Ingraham Angle. 

“If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be OK with that,” Trump told Laura Ingraham. He noted that Japanese companies already build vehicles in America and put Americans to work. “Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people,” he said.

Trump said he does not want those same Chinese companies to produce cars in Mexico and send them across the border. “I’m not knocking Chinese cars,” he said.

U.S. automakers and a Michigan senator press Trump ahead of Xi meeting

American automakers have urged President Donald Trump not to open the U.S. market to Chinese carmakers, warning that they could pose a major threat to the domestic auto industry. The issue has taken on added significance ahead of Trump’s planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington later this month.

According to NBC News, Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin said there were “rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the U.S., as part of a larger deal he’s putting together. Trump called that claim a “total phony rumor.” He said he had kept Chinese vehicles out of the United States.

Despite Slotkin’s concerns, Trump believes he has boosted the U.S. auto industry. Earlier this year, Trump told autoworkers that he did more for them than their own parents did. The job numbers in the auto industry, however, have been far from encouraging.

According to public filings and company employment data, cited by CNBC, GM, Ford and Stellantis have collectively cut more than 20,000 U.S. salaried jobs from their recent employment peaks this decade. That represents 19% of their combined workforces.

A rule put in place by former President Joe Biden’s administration in early 2025 effectively stops Chinese automakers from selling or building passenger cars in the United States. The United States also keeps tariffs of more than 100% on Chinese electric vehicles.

Last week, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation asked Congress to pass a law that would permanently keep Chinese vehicles out of the American market. The group represents General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Honda, Stellantis, and others, and it asked for action by the end of December.

Alliance CEO John Bozzella wrote to congressional leaders, “Right now, Chinese automakers are dumping subsidized vehicles with connected software and hardware around the world.”