Trump to tour Ford ventilator assembly plant in Michigan

President Trump will head to Michigan on Thursday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began to tour a Ford plant currently producing ventilators for hospitals.

White House spokesman Judd Deere made the announcement on Twitter Sunday evening, linking to Crain’s Detroit Business, which first reported the news.

NEW: President @realDonaldTrump to tour @Ford’s ventilator assembly plant in Ypsilanti on Thursday | h/t @ChadLivengood @crainsdetroit | https://t.co/21ZBtZapMp

— Judd Deere (@JuddPDeere45) May 17, 2020

Trump is expected to tour Ford Motor Company’s Rawsonville manufacturing plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., and deliver remarks there, according to a White House official. The factory has been repurposed to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment used by health care workers responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ford has collaborated with General Electric with the goal of producing 50,000 ventilators within 100 days. The company first began producing ventilators at the Michigan plant in April.

The president said in late April that he was resuming his travel around the country after spending most of the month sequestered in the White House due to coronavirus concerns. He previously traveled to Arizona, where he visited a facility manufacturing surgical face masks, and to Pennsylvania, where he toured a medical equipment distributor.

“The White House asked to visit Ford’s Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., as part of the president’s tour to thank businesses producing PPE and important medical equipment,” Ford said in a statement to Crain’s. “We’re proud to assemble more vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker and welcome Thursday’s visit as part of Ford’s longstanding history of hosting sitting presidents and senior government leaders.”

Trump has also announced plans to visit Mount Rushmore in South Dakota to view the fireworks celebration on July 3.

— Morgan Chalfant contributed to this report, which was updated on May 18 at 9:31 a.m.