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Politics 'It's a business. We're numbers': Many hurt by GM cuts blame others, not Trump
David Fahrenthold RetweetedA painful and chilling tale from @wpjenna @dreacornejo & @salwangeorges about a GM plant closure in Ohio. They cut through the Washington noise and capture real people. Real pain. ‘It’s a business. We’re numbers’
Link to tweet
Politics
‘It’s a business. We’re numbers’: Many hurt by GM cuts blame others, not Trump
By Jenna Johnson
November 29 at 5:13 PM
WARREN, Ohio — Eight miles northwest of the General Motors assembly plant expected to close next year, two workers and a customer at an auto-parts store pointed fingers: Americans just don’t want to drive small cars like those produced at the plant. Gas prices are low, making big vehicles even more attractive. And GM can get cheaper labor elsewhere.
But none of the three men pointed a finger at President Trump, who had promised residents here and throughout the industrial Midwest that he would stop the closure of factories. At one political rally in the area last year, he even urged residents to stay put and not sell their homes.
“It’s a company. Why should the president of the United States be allowed to tell a company what to do?” said Michael Hayda, 64, a former factory worker and a driver at the store who is registered as a Democrat and voted for Trump in 2016. ... His co-worker Bill McKlveen, another Democrat who voted for Trump, agreed and noted that auto-industry workers have been getting pink slips for decades, long before Trump took office.
And even a customer who would like to see Trump impeached said he doesn’t fully fault the president. ... “There’s only one law we all obey, and that’s the law of supply and demand,” said Paul Niemi, 68, who fixes wood pallets for a living and was motivated by Trump to vote for the first time earlier this month, selecting a straight Democratic ticket in the midterm election.
....
Jenna Johnson is a national political correspondent covering campaigns and voters. She previously covered the White House, 2016 presidential campaign, Maryland politics and higher education. Follow https://twitter.com/wpjenna
‘It’s a business. We’re numbers’: Many hurt by GM cuts blame others, not Trump
By Jenna Johnson
November 29 at 5:13 PM
WARREN, Ohio — Eight miles northwest of the General Motors assembly plant expected to close next year, two workers and a customer at an auto-parts store pointed fingers: Americans just don’t want to drive small cars like those produced at the plant. Gas prices are low, making big vehicles even more attractive. And GM can get cheaper labor elsewhere.
But none of the three men pointed a finger at President Trump, who had promised residents here and throughout the industrial Midwest that he would stop the closure of factories. At one political rally in the area last year, he even urged residents to stay put and not sell their homes.
“It’s a company. Why should the president of the United States be allowed to tell a company what to do?” said Michael Hayda, 64, a former factory worker and a driver at the store who is registered as a Democrat and voted for Trump in 2016. ... His co-worker Bill McKlveen, another Democrat who voted for Trump, agreed and noted that auto-industry workers have been getting pink slips for decades, long before Trump took office.
And even a customer who would like to see Trump impeached said he doesn’t fully fault the president. ... “There’s only one law we all obey, and that’s the law of supply and demand,” said Paul Niemi, 68, who fixes wood pallets for a living and was motivated by Trump to vote for the first time earlier this month, selecting a straight Democratic ticket in the midterm election.
....
Jenna Johnson is a national political correspondent covering campaigns and voters. She previously covered the White House, 2016 presidential campaign, Maryland politics and higher education. Follow https://twitter.com/wpjenna
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