Trump Slams Detroit Carmakers, Orders General Motors Build Ventilators

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President Donald Trump is ordering General Motors to build ventilators after publicly criticizing the company for not meeting it’s 40,000 commitment, reports Bloomberg.

The president tweeted earlier that GM was allegedly going to provide less than a quarter of the 40,000 ventilators it had promised to produce, take more than a month to do it and wanted “top dollar.”

He tweeted that GM was “always a mess” under the leadership of CEO Mary Barra, then demanded that the Detroit-based automaker reopen its “stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some plant” and immediately begin medical equipment production.

The Trump administration then activated the Defense Production Act to force General Motors to accept the government’s terms, reversing earlier statements that the threat alone would be enough to encourage carmakers. 

Moving Mountains

Several carmakers have recently announced efforts to help supply medical equipment. 

Earlier this week Ford announced it would join with 3M and GE Healthcare to help produce new respirators for health care workers.

Fiat Chrysler also vows to make as many as a million new face masks a week.

GM CEO Barra said company employees have “moved mountains” in just a week’s time to find ways to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

For it’s part, GM officially announced moments after Trump’s tweet storm that it would be ready to ship ventilators next month.

And the automaker said within two weeks it would begin producing roughly 50,000 surgical masks a day – and possibly as many as 100,000 – at its idled manufacturing plant in Warren.

It says the work will be done by paid volunteers and that the United Auto Workers union is onboard with the approach.

GM CEO Barra said company employees have “moved mountains” in just a week’s time to find ways to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.