DEARBORN, Michigan, Jan 13 - President Donald Trump traveled to Detroit on Tuesday, aiming to refocus attention on U.S. manufacturing and his efforts to tackle high consumer costs as the White House strives to show it is addressing the economic anxieties gripping U.S. households. 

The visit to the heart of America's auto industry follows weeks of global saber-rattling by Trump, including forcing out Venezuela's president, threats to Iran and Cuba, warnings to Russia and China and even a challenge to Denmark over Greenland.

Some White House aides have urged the president to prioritize domestic concerns as his Republican Party faces a tough battle to maintain control of Congress in November's midterm elections. 

Ahead of scheduled remarks at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump toured a Ford production center in Dearborn, Michigan, where it assembles the best-selling F-150, alongside the automaker's CEO, Jim Farley, its executive chairman, Bill Ford, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The trip coincides with the Detroit Auto Show, where this week the Motor City's "Big Three" automakers - Ford, General Motors and Stellantis - will showcase their latest innovations.

But the backdrop is grim: Factory employment fell nationwide by 8,000 jobs in December, dipping below levels seen during much of Trump's first term. The stressed state of U.S. manufacturing comes despite Trump's pledge that his aggressive import taxes would lead to a manufacturing renaissance.

Speaking to reporters in Dearborn, Trump repeated his claim that his tariff regime was prompting a wave of new auto factories, despite little evidence of a construction boom.

"Now we have more plants being built in our country than at any time in history," Trump said.

Auto executives spent much of 2025 scrambling to react to the president’s on-again, off-again tariffs, which have cost the companies billions of dollars. Carmakers also have navigated the knock-on effects of Trump’s trade wars, including China’s retaliatory restrictions on rare-earth magnets, used extensive...