, Columnist
GM Doesn’t Need Trump’s Advice on Electric Cars
His attack on its strategy betrays an unearned confidence.
Trump speaks with General Motors CEO Mary Barra, in happier times.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
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President Donald Trump is mad at General Motors Co. He’s been mad at the automotive giant since late last month, when GM announced a major overhaul that would likely involve closing four U.S. factories (and three foreign ones) and shedding thousands of jobs. This week, he reiterated his displeasure in an interview with Fox Business, calling GM’s action “nasty.”
This is not particularly surprising. Job losses on that scale are awful anywhere; and, in GM’s case, many of them will occur in Ohio and Michigan, states critical to Trump’s re-election hopes in 2020.