Ford CEO Fields Looking Forward To 'Very Productive' Discussion With Trump About U.S. Economy
DETROIT (WWJ) - The president and CEO of Ford Motor Co. says he's ready and willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump.
Speaking to WWJ's Jeff Gilbert from the LA Auto Show, Mark Fields said now that election is over, it's time for Trump to focus on policy — and he's optimistic.
"We believe the right policies are going to be put in place because I think, Jeff, we have, we all have the same common goal which is you know, we want a healthy U.S. economy," Fields said. "And as we think about some of the policies that may be put in place we'll engage, I think, in a very productive discussion all with that in mind, of keeping the U.S. economy very healthy."
Trump has criticized Ford for importing vehicles from Mexico — something that other carmakers also do — and has threatened tariffs of 35 percent on those cars. The president-elect has called NAFTA a "worst trade deal in history," and a "disaster," and has said as president he would negotiate for better terms with both Mexico and Canada.
If those countries don't agree to his adjustments Trump said that he just may scrap the deal all together.
Without specifically addressing those issues, Fields said he's very much looking forward to a conversation with Trump.
"We have a proven track record going all the way back to the administration of Teddy Roosevelt, since when we were first founded, of having good working relationships with policy makers on both sides of the aisle," Fields said, adding that he does believe there's some common ground.
"Of course we agree with the president-elect it's about bringing people together and we look forward to working with him and the administration and growing the economy," he said.
Meantime, at this week's auto show, Fields said he's focused on engaging with the public about the future of the auto industry.
"It's really interesting because this is the first show that's actually merging traditional auto show day with a connected car expo, so it's the industry's first integration of both a tech and an auto show," Fields said. "So we're making news on both sides as we transform to an auto and a mobility company."
