POLITICS

Trump: Henry Ford would be 'disappointed' automakers are developing cars with lower emissions

John Fritze
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump slammed the Ford Motor Company on Wednesday for reaching an agreement with California to lower emission standards, even as his administration has sought to relax federal rules around pollution from cars. 

"Henry Ford would be very disappointed if he saw his modern-day descendants wanting to build a much more expensive car, that is far less safe and doesn’t work as well, because execs don’t want to fight California regulators," Trump wrote in a tweet. 

Trump's tweets follow a recent report in the New York Times that the White House was blindsided by an agreement between California and four large automakers and that the administration summoned companies to the White House to press them on the issue. 

Last year, the Trump administration proposed freezing mile-per-gallon standards for cars and light trucks after the 2020 model year, saying it would keep prices lower for consumers and improve safety. Trump has also taken aim at California's more stringent standards, which the federal government historically allowed under a special exemption.

President Donald Trump on Aug. 20, 2019.

Trump has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Detroit, at once crediting his policies with helping to revive the auto industry while also blasting company officials when they announce autoworker layoffs. Trump got into a spat with General Motors last fall after the company announced layoffs and plant closures in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland. 

Contributing: Detroit Free Press