President Donald Trump shrugged off concerns about worker shortages during a visit to a Ford (NYSE:F) assembly plant on Tuesday, instead framing the 5,000 unfilled mechanic jobs as a sign of economic strength.
“That’s a good thing, Tony,” Trump told CBS News in an interview at the Dearborn, Michigan factory. “That means it’s vibrant.”
Trump toured Ford’s facility, where gas and hybrid F-150s are assembled. He praised U.S. automakers and used the visit to double down on his support for tariffs, claiming they boost domestic manufacturing.
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“It’s tariffs that are making money for Michigan and the entire country,” Trump said during a speech to the Detroit Economic Club later in the day calling them “historic” and arguing, “every prediction the critics made about our tariff policy has failed to materialize.”
When asked by CBS News about the 5,000 unfilled mechanic roles Ford is currently trying to fill, Trump replied, “You’re going to have a thing called robots, and robots are going to be a big factor. I predict that robots are going to be a big factor in the future and it’s going to help out.”
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TRUMP: That’s a good thing, Tony. That means it’s vibrant. You’re gonna have a thing called robots. pic.twitter.com/oeJfepGcNF
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To help address the gap, the Business Insider reports that Ford has teamed up with workwear manufacturer Carhartt in a multi-year partnership aimed at training thousands of new workers and elevating the perception of trade jobs. The effort includes opening a ToolBank USA site in Detroit that will lend tools to workers and volunteers, outfitting Ford’s auto tech scholars with Carhartt gear, and launching co-branded public products.
“We are in trouble in our country,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said on a podcast in November. “We have over a million openings in critical jobs, emergency services, trucking, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, and tradesmen. It’s a very serious thing.”
Trump, on the other hand, said the lack of available workers reflects the economy’s momentum. “We’re expanding so rapidly that we need people,” he told CBS News. “People are going to make a lot of money,” he said.
