WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday, April 2nd, rolled out a 25% tariff on foreign-made automobiles, as part of his “Liberation Day,” initiative. The move is a key piece of his aggressive plan to revive American manufacturing by making imported cars a pricier – and less tempting – option for U.S. consumers.

Discussing his Executive Order on reciprocal tariffs, Trump said at his press conference, “This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence.”

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The president added, “For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike…American steel workers, auto workers, farmers and skilled craftsmen…they really suffered gravely. They watched in anguish as foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream.”

Image Credit: Breitbart News screenshot

Macomb County UAW leader praises Trump tariffs, calls them key to reviving auto industry.

Auto workers from Michigan’s Macomb County joined President Trump in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, invited as special guests to his Liberation Day event. While addressing the crowd, President Trump spotlighted Brian Pannebecker, a retired autoworker and founder of Auto Workers for Trump, who said the president’s proposed 25% tariffs on imported cars would spark an economic revival in hard-hit areas like Macomb County – and will help preserve what’s left of American manufacturing.

Pannebecker said, “I grew up just north of Detroit, Michigan in Macomb County – known as the home of the Reagan Democrats. My first vote for president was for Ronald Reagan. I thought that was going to be the best president I ever saw in my lifetime until Donald J. Trump came along.”

Pannebecker went on to say, “I have watched my entire life, I have watched plant after plant after plant in Detroit and in the metro Detroit area close. There are now plants sitting idle, there are now plants that are underutilized. And Donald Trump’s policies are going to bring products back into those under-utilized plants, there’s going to be new investment, there’s going to be new plants built.”

Pannebecker pointed out the other 20 UAW members he brought with him who he says support the president’s policies on tariffs 100%. He added that within six months to a year, the benefits will start to show – and he’s excited to see the long-term impact in the years to come.

Union leaders are swapping picket signs for pom-poms.

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In addition to Brian and his union colleagues, UAW President Shawn Fain, once a vocal supporter of both Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, has made a political pivot that has not gone unnoticed.

Fain has praised Trump’s tariffs, asserting they will “end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades.” It’s a surprising approval from someone who previously labeled Trump a “scab” and “con-man.”

In his endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, Fain showed he either misunderstood – or deliberately ignored – Trump’s vision to make America great again. Fain had declared in his endorsement for Harris, “Which side are you on? On one side, you’ve got a billionaire who serves himself and his billionaire buddies…and on the other side, you have a strong and intelligent…badass woman.”

However, union leaders and workers who once slammed Trump’s trade talk as bluster are now backing his MAGA economic plans with hard hats and handshakes. With cheers from Michigan workers and praise from UAW brass, the message is clear: tariffs aren’t just policy, they’re populism with a punch. If “Liberation Day” was meant to mark a turning point, it looks like the motor is already running – and Michigan is ready to roll.