US President Donald Trump said in remarks that aired on Friday (September 11) he would not oppose Chinese automakers building cars in the United States despite widespread opposition from U.S. lawmakers and car companies, Reuters reports.
"If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be okay with that," Trump said in an interview on the Fox News program "The Ingraham Angle", which was recorded on Thursday (September 10) in Dallas, Texas.
He added that he does not want Chinese automakers to build cars in Mexico and ship them to the United States. "I'm not knocking Chinese cars," Trump said.
On Wednesday (September 9), U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said there were "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. That would be a strategic mistake."
Trump called Slotkin's statement "fake news" and said he had kept Chinese vehicles out of the United States.
