Former President Donald Trump, flanked by two John Deere tractors, said Monday that if the company moves manufacturing to Mexico, he will impose a 200-percent tariff on the products it imports to the United States.
Trump’s pledge to protect American manufacturing jobs came during a roundtable in Smithton, Pennsylvania, with farmers, former Acting Director of National Security Ric Grenell, Republican Pennsylvania Senate nominee Dave McCormick, and former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
“I just noticed behind me John Deere tractors. I know a lot about John Deere. I love the company, but, as you know, they’ve announced a few days ago that they’re going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico,” Trump said.
“I’m just notifying John Deere right now: If you do that, we’re putting a 200-percent tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States,” Trump warned.
As Breitbart News reported, John Deere announced hundreds of layoffs in June that took effect August 30, as the company prepared layoffs at a plant in East Moline, Illinois, and in Davenport, Iowa.
“They haven’t started it yet. Maybe they haven’t even made the final decision yet, but I think they have,” he said.
Because of the adverse effects on farmers and manufacturing workers in America, Trump said that any other company that exports manufacturing to Mexico for cheaper labor would be hit with substantial tariffs.
“They think they’re going to make product cheaper in Mexico and then sell it in for the same prices they did before, make a lot of money by getting rid of our labor and our jobs,” he emphasized.
Trump, who praised the company’s products and said he buys them as a private citizen, said a tariff on John Deere would lead to one of two results.
Trump said either America would make significant money through the tariff or John Deere would not open plants in Mexico. He noted that it could build in Mexico and sell to other countries that do not impose tariffs as a third avenue.
Trump pointed out that there would be no tariff on products built domestically.
“You know what’s going to happen? They’re going to announce very shortly if they think I’m going to win, or, if I do win, they’re going to announce that they’re not going to build in Mexico,” he said.