Trump Urges GM to “Do Something Quickly” with Lordstown Plant

President Donald Trump—reviving his criticism General Motors Co.’s decision to close its auto plant in Lordstown, Ohio—says he has asked CEO Mary Barra to “sell it or do something quickly.”

The plant ended production earlier this month. The 52-year-old facility had been making the Chevrolet Cobalt, a midsize sedan whose sales plunged as consumer demand continues to swing from cars to SUVs. GM also has too much capacity, even if all its U.S. plants made trucks and SUVs.

Trump blames Lordstown’s woes on the United Auto Workers union local in Lordstown, which is headed by David Green, a Democrat. He urged Green to “get his act together and produce,” in a tweet yesterday. Retorts Green to Bloomberg News, “We have produced, and my act is together.” But he points out that unemployment in the Lordstown area has climbed to 7.7%, double the national average.

GM reiterates that the fate of the Lordstown facility depends on the outcome of UAW contract talks later this year.