Trump's attack on GM over ventilators quickly turns to praise

[webfact]

Trump's attack on GM over ventilators quickly turns to praise

By David Shepardson

 

U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a send off for the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort at Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. March 28, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, who excoriated General Motors Co on Friday and invoked emergency powers to compel the production of badly needed ventilators to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, has abruptly shifted gears to praise the automaker.

 

"General Motors is doing a fantastic job. I don't think we need to worry about General Motors," Trump said Sunday, speaking highly of the company in two appearances.

 

"They really seem to be working very, very hard. I think I’m getting very good reports about General Motors."

 

Trump, who has been on the defensive for not moving faster to compel the production of medical equipment, invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) for the first time on Friday, saying GM was wasting time in negotiations. GM had announced earlier on Friday, however, that it would begin quickly building ventilators.

 

On Sunday, GM vowed to move forward and released photos of its efforts to build ventilators at its Kokomo, Indiana plant.

 

GM's manufacturing chief, Gerald Johnson, told Reuters the company aims to produce 10,000 ventilators a month by summer.

 

"No later than mid-April we expect to be up and running ventilators," Johnson said, noting the ventilators will need U.S. regulatory approval, significant testing and that the company must train over 1,000 workers to assemble them.

 

GM has been working with ventilator firm Ventec Life Systems, numerous auto suppliers and other ventilator firms as officials warn the United States may need tens of thousands of additional ventilators.

 

"We're unwavering in our focus to get this done," Johnson said.

 

In any earlier tweet on Friday before GM's announcement, Trump accused the automaker of wanting top dollar for its ventilators.

 

A GM spokesman said the company is doing the project "at cost" and will not make a profit.

 

Johnson said the automaker is spending tens of millions on retooling costs and that if supplier retooling costs are factored in, total retooling costs were in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

GM's ventilator efforts first came to light on March 18 when White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow disclosed he had spoken to GM Chief Executive Mary Barra about the idea. Barra spoke to Kudlow again on Friday after Trump's criticism, a person briefed on the matter said.

 

Tony Fratto, a former deputy press secretary under President George W. Bush, tweeted on Friday: "you have to think if GM HADN’T stepped up to TRY to make ventilators no one would be trying to force them to make them. No one’s banging on other random companies today."

 

Other automakers have said they are working to produce ventilators, masks and other medical equipment. Ford Motor Co said Friday it was moving as fast as it could to gear up its ventilator manufacturing efforts. Toyota Motor Corp is working with "at least two companies that produce ventilators and respirators to help increase their capacity."

 

GM will also begin producing surgical masks at a plant in Michigan this week and expects to produce 50,000 a day by mid-April.

 

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-30

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[spiekerjozef]

Same bs talks he does already since the '70's

[Chomper Higgot]

Somebody reminded him

of their campaign donations.

[Grumpy John]

I really like Trump.  If you don't work as part of the 'can do' team you get a boot up the bum to remind you there is no "I" in team. 

[bristolboy]

6 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

I really like Trump.  If you don't work as part of the 'can do' team you get a boot up the bum to remind you there is no "I" in team. 

Yes, he's so inclusive. For instance, at the signing the the 2 trillion plus emergency bill, a bipartisan effort, you know how many Democrats got invited? If your guess is higher than zero, you're overestimating. So are you going to launch that boot in the direction of Trump's bum?

[Emdog]

1 hour ago, Grumpy John said:

I really like Trump.  If you don't work as part of the 'can do' team you get a boot up the bum to remind you there is no "I" in team. 

However, there is an 'i' in idiot, incompetent, a few in narcissist

[Redline]

3 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

I really like Trump.  If you don't work as part of the 'can do' team you get a boot up the bum to remind you there is no "I" in team. 

You mean kissing a** 

[Redline]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/28/trump-coronavirus-politics-us-health-disaster

 

fantastic job

[Puchaiyank]

What really caught my attention in this article is the anticipation of a large scale need for ventilators over an extended period of time...

 

Not a good sign...

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

I really like Trump.  If you don't work as part of the 'can do' team you get a boot up the bum to remind you there is no "I" in team. 

Meaning that "I" is reserved for the clown.

[Terry B]

The CCP is posting comments here too?!

[IAMHERE]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

GM's manufacturing chief, Gerald Johnson, told Reuters the company aims to produce 10,000 ventilators a month by summer.

Just in time to be a little bit late is my prediction.

[JHolmesJr]

5 hours ago, bristolboy said:

Yes, he's so inclusive. For instance, at the signing the the 2 trillion plus emergency bill, a bipartisan effort, you know how many Democrats got invited? If your guess is higher than zero, you're overestimating. So are you going to launch that boot in the direction of Trump's bum?

 

Fantastic decision by the Don...those democrat bums do not deserve to stand on the same stage as him.

All they did was play politics with the bill.

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

Fantastic decision by the Don...those democrat bums do not deserve to stand on the same stage as him.

All they did was play politics with the bill.

Given the obvious difficulty Trump Is having with his breathing I’m sure they are glad to keep a healthy distance.

[wwest5829]

3 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

What really caught my attention in this article is the anticipation of a large scale need for ventilators over an extended period of time...

 

Not a good sign...

Because ... cutting needed budget to prepare and delay while denouncing as a hoax ...

[bristolboy]

26 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

Fantastic decision by the Don...those democrat bums do not deserve to stand on the same stage as him.

All they did was play politics with the bill.

Like getting $600 per week extra for the unemployed. Bad, bad democrats.

But good Republicans who passed another big tax break for certain members of the 1 percent.  

Among them, being, oddly enough Donald Trump and Jared Kushner. Because at a time when America is in crisis, nothing is more important than ramping up deductions for wealthy real estate owners. After all, the huge breaks they got in the last tax bill clearly weren't enough.

[wwest5829]

53 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Just in time to be a little bit late is my prediction.

Yep. Due to taking time to denounce as a hoax and plot against him being re-elected while other countries responded.... a man far out of his depth.

[JHolmesJr]

Just now, bristolboy said:

Like getting $600 per week extra for the unemployed. Bad, bad democrats.

But good Republicans who passed another big tax break for certain members of the 1 percent.  

Among them, being, oddly enough Donald Trump and Jared Kushner. Because at a time when America is in crisis, nothing is more important than ramping up deductions for wealthy real estate owners. After all, the huge breaks they got in the last tax bill clearly weren't enough.

 

and 25 million to an Opera house...LOL

[GalaxyMan]

I think you're being very unfair to the, umm, President; after all, he did send 170 ventilators to California. The fact that they were inoperable and broken certainly isn't his fault; nothing is. ???? I mean, he's already bragging about how only 100,000 people dying will show what a GREAT job he's doing. ????

Edited March 30, 2020 by GalaxyMan

[Chomper Higgot]

21 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

and 25 million to an Opera house...LOL

You don’t do percentages do you.

[ChouDoufu]

22 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

and 25 million to an Opera house...LOL

sure, but NOT for the artists employed there.

 

instead, after receiving $25 big ones, the theater notified the workers of their impending layoffs, and they can sing for their suppers on the street.

[JHolmesJr]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You don’t do percentages do you.

you dont do straight talk, do you?

[bristolboy]

57 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

and 25 million to an Opera house...LOL

Not even close to the 17 billion per year that the new tax break is going to cost the government. A tax break for the super wealthy. A break that will certainly benefit Trump. Maybe not quite as much as the last tax bill did but still...

And as for 25 million for an opera house. They are a not for profit business that will be starved for revenue just like lots of other businesses. Like the travel business loans can't really work for them because their product is time sensitive. They can't ramp up more performances. Same goes for museums. 

[natway09]

This guy (the goose) can play any tune outa that gob

[Psimbo]

He flips, he flops, he flips again. More flip flops than a sandal shop.

[Bluespunk]

trumps doing so many u turns at the moment he is spinning like a top. 

[ChouDoufu]

GM?  should'a gone with mercedes.

 

"A breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week.

University College London engineers worked with clinicians at UCLH and Mercedes Formula One to build the device, which delivers oxygen to the lungs without needing a ventilator."

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52087002

 

not ventilators, but a CPAP device modified to assist breathing, keep the patient out of the icu, cut ventilator use in half.  already built 40 for use in trials, then looking to produce 1000/day.

 

damn you, capitalism!

[bristolboy]

2 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

you dont do straight talk, do you?

Like Donald Trump, you confuse trash talk with straight talk.

Edited March 30, 2020 by bristolboy

[JJNThailand]

9 hours ago, bristolboy said:

Yes, he's so inclusive. For instance, at the signing the the 2 trillion plus emergency bill, a bipartisan effort, you know how many Democrats got invited? If your guess is higher than zero, you're overestimating. So are you going to launch that boot in the direction of Trump's bum?

 

 

Please tell us exactly what the Dems tried to put in the first 2 bills, ie Free abortion and AOC's Green New Deal, that never made it into the final bill? And why did the Dems take over a week, wasting valuable time, to write a bill that finally did get approved despite still being full of garbage, ie millions to liberal NPR and Art Centers that the average American can not afford to attend, that has nothing to do with the virus?

 

More facts for ya -  Trump is rokin it with a 49% approval rating, several points higher then Obozo, and a 60% approval on handling the Chinese Virus.  60% is great because we all know, 35% will always complain as they dont care about facts and let hate drive their emotions and decisions.

 

 

Like they say, the devils in the details. Thank you.

 

 

 

[rabas]

1 hour ago, ChouDoufu said:

GM?  should'a gone with mercedes.

 

"A breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week.

University College London engineers worked with clinicians at UCLH and Mercedes Formula One to build the device, which delivers oxygen to the lungs without needing a ventilator."

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52087002

 

not ventilators, but a CPAP device modified to assist breathing, keep the patient out of the icu, cut ventilator use in half.  already built 40 for use in trials, then looking to produce 1000/day.

 

damn you, capitalism!

 

Then there's this, The Illinois RapidVent emergency ventilator fully designed, developed, and now under test for 75 hrs in just one week. Ready for production and can be manufactured at low cost and high volumes. Plugs into any hospital O2 vent or tanks.  I think GM missed the boat.

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by rabas