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Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers, expressed his belief that President Trump’s impending 25% tariff on imported vehicles could rapidly boost employment in American manufacturing. Despite being a prominent critic of Trump during last year’s election campaign, Fain adopted a stance remarkably similar to the White House’s rhetoric on how automakers could relocate production domestically.
“We have underutilized capacity at our manufacturing facilities,” Fain stated, echoing the White House’s framing. “They could bring work back to the United States very swiftly.”
“Tariffs are a tool that can be employed to compel these companies to do the right thing, and the underlying intent is to bring jobs back here and invest in American workers,” Fain said during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain: "I've had companies tell us point blank that they're going to have to bring product back here if those tariffs are implemented." pic.twitter.com/RAR8ZrC5Fr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 30, 2025
Trump’s substantial auto tariffs are scheduled to take effect on Wednesday and could potentially trigger turmoil within the automotive industry.
Wednesday also marks the announced launch date for Trump’s 25% tariffs on various Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as his “reciprocal” tariffs targeting other major trading partners such as the European Union and Japan.
Approximately half of the vehicles sold in the US are imported, primarily from Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Germany.
While not entirely uncritical of his long-standing political adversary, Fain emphasized his desire for union membership to grow as a result of any potential influx of auto jobs. “It doesn’t do any good if they’re going to locate them in places and they’re not going to have the opportunity to have a union, you know. And so naturally, we have concerns,” the union boss stated.
Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s 2025 challenger, were closely aligned with the UAW, going so far as to exclude the non-unionized Tesla from a promotional electric vehicle showcase on the White House lawn.
Trump and Fain have exchanged public insults, with the president calling on auto-union members to oust Fain, who on Sunday offered critical words about other Trump actions, labeling him “deplorable” for attempting to strip federal workers of union eligibility.
The auto tariffs were announced last week, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro emphasizing that they would also apply to car parts. Canadian and Mexican car imports will be tariffed based on the percentage of parts that are US-made. If half of its parts are American, for example, the levy would be 12.5% rather than 25%.
“Half of the roughly 16 million cars, SUVs and light trucks Americans bought in 2024 were imports,” Navarro said last week. “Of the remaining 8 million units, more than half of these cars were assembled from foreign parts. So what that means is less than 25% of the cars sold in America contain US content on average. That stops right now with the Trump auto tariffs.”
United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain:
"We are ecstatic to see an administration FINALLY address the unfair trade laws in this country. These laws have destroyed the American working class." pic.twitter.com/ITHpK5g9xK
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 30, 2025
A previous report by the US International Trade Commission stated that “[a] new 25% tariff on U.S. imports from outside of North America would reduce vehicle imports by 73.9%, increase average prices of vehicles in the United States by 5.0%, and increase variable profits from domestic production by 5.2%”
However, that report did not assess the effect of tariffing Canadian and Mexican imports, suggesting that the impact may be even greater.
Trump has aggressively adopted tariffs during his second term after largely using the threat of tariffs during his first term to secure trade reforms from other countries.
Earlier this month, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on China, citing fentanyl smuggling, and in February, he imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum, without exceptions for major importers that were previously in effect.
Trump has hinted at plans for tariffs on computer chips, copper, pharmaceuticals, and other products, arguing that it would boost the US economy, although critics contend that it could fuel inflation by making goods more expensive.
