Ford Motor CEO to Trump: We’re ‘here to stay’ in US

The CEO of Ford Motor Company on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump’s charges that the automobile manufacturer is neglecting America for foreign markets such as Mexico.

“Well, the last I looked, Ford Motor Company is here to stay in the United States,” Mark Fields said during an interview in New York City with CNBC.

{mosads}“It’s presidential politics. We’re just going to stay focused on the facts. We are very proud as a company of what we do in terms of contributing to economic development here in the U.S.”

Trump has repeatedly denounced Ford’s investments in Mexico, arguing that the car company’s plants there are a missed opportunity for employing American workers instead.

Fields on Wednesday argued that Trump is obscuring Ford’s role in improving the U.S. economy in other fashions.

“We’ve invested over $10 billion since 2011 in our facilities,” he said of the company’s efforts on American soil. “We’ve hired over 25,000 people. Over the next four years we’re going to invest another $9 billion and hire another 85,000 folks.

“It’s really important for us to be successful in our home market. We love what we do to the economy.”

Fields also revealed that he had tried discussing business specifics with Trump, noting that his outreach was ultimately unsuccessful.

“Originally I sent a letter to Mr. Trump when he originally started talking about us, and I laid out the facts for him,” he said. “That’s extent of the communication.”

The Ford Motor Company CEO added that his company did not regret building any automobile plants overseas, however.

“We’re always going to invest where it makes sense for the business,” Fields said of Mexico and other factories abroad.