Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hailed President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on the automotive sector, touting them as a move that will strengthen the U.S.’s domestic manufacturing sector.
Howard Lutnick Touts Thousands of Jobs, Ford’s Lincoln Pivot
In an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Lutnick said that the Section 232 auto tariffs were “winning the day” at the Monterey Car Week in Monterey, California. “These tariffs are bringing auto manufacturing home,” Lutnick said.
He also hailed Ford Motor Co.‘s (NYSE:F) decision to move production of Lincoln vehicles to the U.S. in 2030. “Ford is going to rock us with bringing manufacturing back to America.” Lutnick also hailed Toyota Motor Corp‘s (NYSE:TM) plans to expand U.S. manufacturing
“All their trucks, their Tacoma, their Tundra, they make these trucks in America,” and he was impressed by the automaker’s facilities in San Antonio, Texas, and in Kentucky. “Thousands and Thousands of jobs coming back to America because of these tariffs on automotives,” Lutnick said.
Lutnick also said that the domestic manufacturing push could open the doors for a younger population to join the manufacturing workforce. “We’re gonna have to train young people for these high-tech jobs,” adding that companies were taking on young professionals “right out of high school” to train them and offer wages from “23 bucks an hour.”
Ford’s Domestic Push
Ford CEO Jim Farley hailed the automaker’s move to begin production of some Lincoln models in the U.S., also reportedly saying that tariffs were a big part of the decision, as the Lincoln Nautilus imported from China attracted a 52.5% tariff.
Farley also touted Ford’s domestic manufacturing prowess. “Ford builds in America because we believe in America, and we’re betting on that belief again,” the CEO said in an official statement released by Ford.
The automaker also recently revealed the name of its sub-$30,000 EV pickup truck, which will go up against the likes of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) Cybertruck, calling it the Fathom electric pickup truck.
“We named it Fathom because real depth comes from deeply understanding how you live,” according to an official statement by the automaker.
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