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President-elect Trump may still have some time before entering the Oval Office, but he and his team are already influencing business leaders. President of Ford Motor Co. Bill Ford, whose great-grandfather Henry Ford founded the cult the American auto giantbelieves that Trump and Elon Musk want to help the industry.
“[Trump is] very aligned with the importance of strong American industry. He not only wants to keep it strong, but actually make it stronger from here.” Ford told reporters at the Detroit Auto Show.
The all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E is on display during the 2024 LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on November 22, 2024. (Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
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Ford added that Trump is not only focused on boosting automakers, but also aims to “help the workers in the industry. He cares deeply about the people in the factories.”
Former President Trump listens as auto worker Brian Pannebecker speaks during a campaign rally at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan on October 26, 2024. (Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images/Fox News)
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Touching on Trump’s close relationship with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Ford said he wasn’t overly concerned that it would hurt the electric vehicle company’s competitors. In fact, Ford is hoping for Musk’s point of view will benefit car manufacturers.
“We agree on a lot of different things,” Ford said, referring to Musk.
President-elect Trump, left, and Elon Musk. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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In his first term, Trump clashed with the US auto industry over regulations, trade deals and tariffs. Ford reportedly admitted that his relationship with Trump was during the then-president’s first term “had ups and downs.” However, after a “long, long” conversation with Trump, Ford expressed optimism about the president-elect’s approach to the auto industry in his second term.
“I’m very confident that Ford, going forward, will have a voice and a seat at the table,” Ford said.
Axios and Bloomberg contributed to this report.
