US President Donald Trump said American auto giants General Motors and Ford will soon begin producing weapons, including Patriot air defense missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, as Washington accelerates efforts to expand its defense industrial base.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said the automakers are preparing to repurpose idle factory capacity and have already reached agreements to manufacture missile-related products.
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“We are building a lot of factories across the country. They are holding talks with General Motors and Ford. As far as I know, General Motors is very interested in this initiative and could reopen several plants,” Trump said.
The move comes amid reports that the Pentagon has been in talks with major automakers as part of a broader push to rapidly increase arms production.
“We have plenty of weapons, but we always want to ensure that we maintain even larger stockpiles,” he added.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described the effort as operating in a “wartime mode,” aimed at leveraging commercial industry to strengthen US military capabilities.
The Journal noted that the United States previously converted civilian manufacturing to military production during World War II. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration also enlisted automakers to manufacture ventilators.
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