Lordstown Plant Closing: Trump, Other Politicians Blast GM

LORDSTOWN, OH — When General Motors announced it was shuttering its Lordstown operations, amid sweeping nationwide cuts, it made unlikely allies of Democrats and Republicans. President Donald Trump blasted the move, and his criticism was joined by several key Ohio Democrats.

Trump said he told General Motors CEO and Chairman Mary Barra to find a car that was selling well and to move its manufacturing needs to the Lordstown plant. He said he was "very tough" when talking with Barra.

Trump wasn't alone in getting tough on Barra and GM. Many Ohio politicians, and the United Auto Workers union, lined up to lambaste the announcement.

“This callous decision by GM to reduce or cease operations in American plants, while opening or increasing production in Mexico and China plants for sales to American consumers, is, in its implementation, profoundly damaging to our American workforce,” said Terry Dittes, UAW vice president, director GM Department. He also noted that the decision to close American plants comes just 10 years after federal bailout money was issued to save the company.

Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, called GM's closure of Lordstown "corporate greed at its worst." He said he would do everything he could to fight for the workers. The theme of corporate greed ran through nearly all attacks leveled by Democrats against GM.

“Time and time again both the taxpayer and our workers have been asked to sacrifice for the good of the General Motors brand. This latest move from General Motors is an affront to that sacrifice,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo.

Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Youngstown, took to Twitter to level his criticism. He said, "This is absolutely the epitome of a broken economic system where the men and women here have dedicated their lives to building quality cars and are now getting slapped in the face. GM takes the money, takes the bailout, and screws the American worker."

Still, while many politicians lined up on the same side to critique GM, that didn't mean there weren't shots at President Trump.

After General Motors blamed Trump's tariffs and trade deals for impending cuts of some 14,700 jobs in the U.S. (including about 1,600 in Lordstown), many Ohio Democrats were quick to echo that criticism of the administration.

Kaptur took perhaps the lightest shot at the president, saying he promised to end NAFTA and tax incentives for outsourcing jobs, and that Trump had dragged his feet. "Enough is enough," she said in a statement.

Ryan was less sensitive. He posted a video of a Trump rally from last year, in which the president promised to bring work back to the Mahoning Valley.

"On July 25, 2017, President Trump visited Youngstown, OH and said he would bring jobs back to our area. Today, GM is shutting down the Lordstown Plant and 4 more across North America - a loss of over 14,000 jobs. The President has yet to tweet about GM today," Ryan said on Monday night.

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(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)