KATHMANDU: U.S. President Donald Trump said he would be open to Chinese automakers building cars in the United States, despite opposition from the U.S. lawmakers and major automakers.
“If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that,” Trump said in an interview on the Fox News program “The Ingraham Angle.”
“Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people,” he said.
However, Trump said he would not want Chinese automakers to build cars in Mexico and export them to the U.S. “I’m not knocking Chinese cars,” Trump said.
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said there were “rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the U.S., as part of a larger deal he’s putting together. That would be a strategic mistake.”
Trump called Slotkin’s statement a “total phony rumor” and said he had kept Chinese vehicles out of the United States.
Chinese automakers currently face major barriers in the U.S. market. A regulation introduced by the previous Biden administration in 2025 effectively prevents Chinese automakers from selling or producing passenger vehicles in the country. The U.S. also maintains tariffs of more than 100% on Chinese electric vehicles.
Trump’s comments come ahead of a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington later this month.
Major automakers in the U.S. have urged the government to keep Chinese vehicles out of the American market. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents companies including General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Honda and Stellantis, has called on Congress to pass legislation permanently restricting Chinese vehicles from the U.S. market.
The group says Chinese automakers are using government subsidies to expand their presence in global markets.
