ORION TWP., MICH — President Barack Obama paid his ninth visit to Michigan on Friday, championing a new automotive trade partnership between South Korea and the U.S. and defending his decision to bail out the Detroit automakers at the start of his presidency.
The president spoke at a General Motors assembly plant in Lake Orion Township, Mich., where he touted a new trade partnership between the two countries to produce the Chevrolet Sonic — the first sub-compact car made by the Detroit automaker, which now only is assembled in the Lake Orion plant.
Obama, alongside South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and UAW President Bob King, took a tour of the plant before addressing a small group of auto workers on the assembly floor.
He said the agreement was a “win-win” situation for both countries, and will increase the U.S. economy more than the last nine trade agreements combined.
“If Americans can buy Kias and Hyundais, I know people in Korea will be able to buy some Fords and Chevys and Chryslers,” Obama said.
The agreement has been heavily backed by Detroit auto workers, who say it will help increase American jobs. The trade agreement passed Congress on Wednesday, with the Obama administration saying it would create 70,000 new jobs.
“We will export a lot more vehicles than we are today,” King said, adding it also would address workers’ rights, which has not be a focal point of other trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Although the president’s administration has said the purpose of Obama’s visit was to plug the trade agreement, he placed a large focus on his decision to bail out the Detroit automakers just after taking office in 2009.
“Today, I can say the investment paid off,” Obama said, noting “some politicians” still disagree with the decision. “They should come tell that to the workers in Orion.”
His comments come after Mitt Romney, regarded by many as the leading Republican front runner in the 2012 presidential race, said in a debate that financing for the bailout was inappropriate.
Still, Darryl Webb, a sanitation worker at the Lake Orion plant who lives in Flint, Mich., said he believes the trade agreement will boost the industry and help his fellow workers. The plant had closed two years ago, and reopened in January.
“We need more factories like this to wake up,” Webb said. “This is a beautiful thing for all of us.”
For more on this story, read Monday’s edition of The State News
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “President Obama visits GM assembly plant in Lake Orion, Mich. ” on social media.
