DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated false claims that Chinese automakers are putting up large factories in Mexico, vowing during a stop in the automaking state of Michigan to slap 200% tariffs on any vehicles the unbuilt plants make and ship to the United States.
Trump also claimed during an event in Flint that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in November, there will be no more auto industry in the U.S., because work building electric vehicles will go to China.
That statement came even though automaking employment has grown since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, after dropping during Trump's first term.
“If I don't win, you will have no auto industry within two to three years," Trump said, calling any increases under Biden and Harris temporary. “You will not have any manufacturing plants. China is going to take over all of them because of the electric car.”
He told the crowd he would make foreign automakers build factories in the U.S. by imposing tariffs on imported autos, saying it “will be like taking candy from a baby.”
Foreign automakers already have multiple U.S. factories, mainly in southern states.
Auto jobs dipped 0.8% during Trump's term to just over 949,000 in January 2021, when he left office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since Biden took office that month, auto and parts jobs rose 13.6% to 1.07 million in August, so there's no evidence of the industry disappearing. Auto sales were up 2.4% in the first half of this year.
Trump said his tariffs would make Chinese vehicles built in Mexico unsellable in the U.S., forcing automakers from China and elsewhere to set up factories in the U.S.
“They’re owned and built by China in Mexico, and there are a number of them going up right now,” Trump said of Chinese factories.
Although some Chinese automakers aspire to sell in the U.S., industry analysts say there are no large Chinese-owned auto factories under construction in Mexico, and there's only one small Chinese auto assembly factory operating there. It’s run by a company called JAC that builds inexpensive vehicles from kits for sale in that country.
Trump also promised to charge tariffs on vehicles made in other countries if those countries tax U.S.-made vehicles. But often tariffs end up being passed on to consumers in the country that assesses them.
The Harris campaign issued a statement from Michigan Sen. Gary Peters saying that a second Trump term would crush auto jobs, “ceding Michigan's global auto manufacturing leadership to the Chinese government.” He said Harris has a plan to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs home "and ensure Michigan workers continue to lead the world in auto manufacturing.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
MILAN (AP) — Norwegian cyclist Fredrik Dversnes claimed the biggest victory of his career as he won the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday, while Jonas Vingegaard remained in the overall lead heading into the final week.
Dversnes won from a four-man breakaway that escaped early on the flat 157-kilometer (98-mile) route that started in Voghera and ended with four laps of the finishing circuit in Milan.
The Uno-X Mobility rider edged out his fellow escapees by almost a bicycle length, with Mirco Maestri finishing second and Martin Marcellusi third.
It is the first Giro for Dversnes and his team.
“Super good help from the other guys in the breakaway … They were really, really strong today,” Dversnes said. "I knew I had good opportunities because I’m pretty good at going in breakaways, so this was my big shot.
“I’ve been joking this year that I will try to trick the peloton in one of these sprint stages, so I really wanted to do that and prove that, so super glad to make it. It's big. It’s a really big and incredible feeling.”
Vingegaard, who had seized control of the race on Saturday, finished safely in the peloton to maintain his overall advantage of 2:26 over Afonso Eulálio, with Felix Gall 24 seconds further back.
The race jury decided to neutralize Sunday's stage for the last lap after several riders — including Vingegaard — complained about the road surface and the placing of the barriers. The overall times were taken at the last passage under the finish arch, before the start of the last lap.
“Maybe today was not the most safe road, so to speak, but we tried to speak with the organization and they really listened to us,” Vingegaard said. “So I want to thank the organization as well for listening to what we had to say today.”
Monday sees the Giro’s third and final rest day before Tuesday’s brutal 16th stage. The 113-kilometer route from Bellinzona includes five classified climbs, including the top-category slog to the finish in Carì.
The Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.
The women’s Giro from May 30-June 7 will be defended by Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini.
AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard wears the pink jersey of the race overall leader as he stands on the podium after completing the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Voghera to Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Norway's Fredrik Dversnes Lavik, left, celebrates winning the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Voghera to Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
Norway's Fredrik Dversnes Lavik celebrates winning the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Voghera to Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Pink jersey Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, center, pedals during Stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Voghera to Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
The pack of riders pedals during the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Voghera to Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard wearing the pink jersey of the race overall leader, waves to fans ahead of the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Voghera to Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
