Trump to travel to Michigan this week
President Donald Trump is expected to travel to Michigan to visit a Ford manufacturing plant, a White House spokesman and Ford both confirmed to CNN.
The trip is currently scheduled for Thursday but sources caution that is subject to change.
The trip will be Trump’s third visit to a 2020 battleground state in recent weeks. Trump traveled to Arizona on May 5 to tour a Honeywell N95 mask facility, and last week, he visited a personal protective equipment distribution facility in Pennsylvania.
The White House said during the visit Trump is expected to tour the plant that has been repurposed to manufacture ventilators and personal protective equipment to help in the coronavirus response. He is also expected to deliver remarks there.
Ford said in a statement that the White House asked to visit the plant as part of the President’s trips to thank businesses producing PPE and medical equipment.
“We’re proud to assemble more vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker and welcome Thursday’s visit as part of Ford’s longstanding history of hosting sitting presidents and senior government leaders,” the company said in a statement.
The White House said during his stop Trump is expected to discuss the collaboration between Ford and General Electric, which have started production of PPE and ventilators to try to help the increased demand.
Vice President Mike Pence has also taken a similar strategy. He is expected to travel to Orlando next week, where he will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss Florida’s phased economic reopening, deliver personal protective equipment to a nursing home and hold a roundtable with hospitality and tourism industry leaders. Pence has previously visited Minnesota, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin and Colorado since being tapped to lead the coronavirus task force.
A source familiar with Pence’s trips suggested that though it wasn’t the primary motivation, visiting those places has its benefits.
“The fact that we’re visiting battleground states is a cherry on top, it is an added bonus. But it is definitely not a motivating factor,” the source told CNN last month.
This story has been updated to include confirmation of Trump’s trip from the White House and Ford.
