Trump turns on Harley-Davidson over offshoring
- Erica Pandey, author of Axios Finish Line
President Trump is going after Harley-Davidson — once one of his favorite companies — after the motorcycle maker announced it will move some production out of the U.S. to relieve the burden of the EU's retaliatory tariffs. On Monday, Trump tweeted he was surprised Harley-Davidson was "the first to wave the White Flag."
Reality check: Harley-Davidson's shift to Thailand was also due to one of the Trump administration's trade moves. CEO Matt Levatich told Bloomberg that the decision to invest in a plant in Thailand was made after the company realized Trump's exit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership would make exporting motorcycles to Asia more expensive.
The follow-ups to Trump's tweet:
Reality check #2: Harley-Davidson isn't looking to import bikes manufactured overseas back to the U.S. Motorcycles made abroad will sell abroad, and U.S.-bound bikes will be made in the U.S.
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