Trump to visit Ford plant in battleground state Michigan amid tensions
with governor
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[May 21, 2020]
By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President
Donald Trump travels to the political swing state of Michigan on
Thursday to visit a Ford plant amid tension with the state's Democratic
governor and differences over the speed at which the country is
reopening from its COVID-19 shutdown.
Trump, a Republican who is running for re-election this November, has
urged states to loosen coronavirus-related restrictions so the economy
can recover.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a potential running mate for
presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, is facing
backlash against her stay-at-home orders.
Trump threatened on Wednesday to withhold funding from the state over
its plan for expanded mail-in voting, saying without evidence that it
could lead to voter fraud. He seemed to back away from the threat later.
Trump will travel to Ypsilanti to tour a Ford Motor Co plant that has
been recast to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment. He
will also hold a meeting with African-American leaders to discuss
vulnerable populations hit by the virus. The president has declined to
wear a mask on similar factory tours despite guidelines for employees to
do so.
Michigan is a critical presidential battleground that Trump won narrowly
in 2016, the first Republican to do since 1988. Winning the state again
is part of his campaign's strategy for victory in November.
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President Donald Trump holds a meeting on "opportunity zones" in the
Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 18, 2020.
REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
Trump has made only a handful of trips out of Washington since the
pandemic went into full force. They have focused on politically
important states such as Arizona and Pennsylvania and have included
campaign-style music and rhetoric despite being official White House
visits. Trump's signature political rallies have been suspended
because of the outbreak.
Trump and Ford have been at odds for nearly a year over the
automaker's decision in July 2019 to back a deal with California for
stricter fuel economy standards than his administration proposed.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by David Shepardson;
Editing by Peter Cooney)
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