Two Weeks Before Xi Comes to Washington, Trump Calls a Senator's Warning About Chinese Cars "a Total Phony Rumor" — Then Says in the Same Interview That "If China Wanted to Come In and Open a Plant to Build Their Cars Here, I'd Be OK With That"
On September 9, 2026, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) posted that she was hearing "rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the U.S., as part of a larger deal he's putting together," calling it "a strategic mistake." She cited no source and paired the warning with a push for the Connected Vehicle Security Act, her bipartisan bill with Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) that would bar Chinese-linked connected vehicles, software and hardware from the U.S. market. A House version is led by Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the Select Committee on China, and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and the Senate Commerce Committee passed the bill in July. Asked about it on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" on September 11, President Trump said "I hate this rumor. It's a total phony rumor," pointing to his tariffs on Chinese cars. But in the same interview he said "If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be OK with that," comparing it to Japanese automakers: "The big thing is they hire our people." He said he did not want Chinese companies building cars in Mexico and shipping them north. The remarks came as Trump prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in the United States, a meeting expected around September 24, and a week after the Alliance for Automotive Innovation — representing Ford, GM, Toyota, Stellantis, Honda and nearly every other major automaker — asked Congress to pass a permanent ban on Chinese vehicles by the end of December. A Biden-era Commerce Department rule already effectively bars Chinese automakers from selling or building connected passenger vehicles in the U.S.
“I hate this rumor. It's a total phony rumor. I'm the one that has a 150 percent tariff on any car from China. … If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be OK with that. … Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people.”