In a surprise move, President Donald Trump indicated on Friday that he’s open to Chinese automakers building cars in the U.S. so long as they hire American workers.
“If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be OK with that,” he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people.”
He continued by explaining what he doesn’t want to see happen, which is China build overseas and then import into the United States.
“What I don’t want is them to build in Mexico and just, you know, build it inexpensively and ship it across the border,” Trump explained. “That’s unhappening. Just like the Gulf of Mexico is unhappening, we’re now Gulf of America, it’s not happening in Mexico anymore.”
“All of those car companies are moving here,” he added. “By the way, Canada, all of the car companies are moving into the United States. They’re all leaving Canada, they’re coming here.”
Listen below via Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle“:
Trump: If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I would be okay with it. pic.twitter.com/bqfVuAAKNf
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 11, 2026
The problem is that the president’s idea of letting China build cars in the U.S. is widely opposed by both car manufacturers and lawmakers.
“U.S. automakers have urged Trump, who is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington in two weeks, not to agree to allow Chinese automakers access to the U.S. market,” according to NBC News.
Earlier this week Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, tweeted that it’d be a “strategic mistake” to cater to the Chinese.
“We hear 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,” she wrote. “That would be a strategic mistake — and one that will irrevocably impact not just the 1.2 million Michigan jobs directly or indirectly tied to the auto industry, but the overall manufacturing capacity of the United States.”
There’s an important moment of inflection coming in just a few weeks, when President Trump will roll out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington. We hear rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the U.S., as part of a larger deal…
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) September 9, 2026
During Trump’s Friday interview on Fox News, he was asked about Slotkin’s tweet.
“It’s a total phony rumor,” he replied. “I’m the one that has a 150 percent tariffs on any car from China. You know how many Chinese cars we have in the United States? None.”
“And you’re pledging tonight that none will be in the United States?” Ingraham then asked him.
“I never even heard about it,” the president replied. “She made it up. It’s just fake news. These people are very dishonest. They’re very dishonest. … I know nothing about it. I know nothing about BYD.”
“I’m the only one that stopped them from coming in,” he added. “They’ve destroyed, you know, they’re destroying Germany. They’re ruining Mercedes. They’re ruining BMW. If you go to Europe, you look at what’s going on. It’s like an avalanche of Chinese cars.”
BYD is a Chinese car manufacturer.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump just SLAPPED DOWN a major fake news lie from Sen. Slotkin (D) that he is going to let China flood America with their cars
“It’s a total phony rumor. She made it up. It’s just Fake News!”
WHY would Trump do that? He’s America first on trade!
The…
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 12, 2026
The good news, strangely enough, is that Chinese automakers are currently banned from selling or building passenger vehicles in the United States thanks to a regulation from former President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, last week a group representing nearly all major automakers reportedly urged Congress to make the regulation permanent.
“Right now, Chinese automakers are dumping subsidized vehicles with connected software and hardware around the world,” the Alliance for Automotive Innovation wrote in a letter to Congress.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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