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Trump bragged about bringing Michigan 'so many damn car plants.' Zero new major plants have opened during his presidency.

Trump
President Donald Trump addresses supporters during a campaign rally at MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan on September 10, 2020.
  • President Donald Trump made claimed at a rally in Michigan Thursday night that he brought "so many damn car plants" to Michigan, Detroit Free Press reported.

  • Only one new major assembly facility has been announced in the state during his presidency, and it isn't open yet.

  • Trump has frequently boasted the creation of auto plants when speaking to voters in swing states. Only five new car plants have been announced to open in the US since he stepped into office in 2017.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump made a number of misleading and false claims Thursday night in bragging that he revitalized the auto industry in Michigan, as the Detroit Free Press reported.

Speaking to his supporters at a rally in Michigan, he demanded the crowd vote for him, exaggerating the extent to which car manufacturing has changed in the state during his presidency.

"You better vote for me, I got you so many damn car plants," he said.

At another point in the speech, he repeated the claim and promised more car plants.

"We brought you a lot of car plants, we brought you a lot ... and we're going to bring you a lot more," he said.

Only five new car plants have been announced during Trump's entire presidency, experts at the Center for Automotive Research told the Washington Post. Three of them are located in Michigan.

Of those plants, the Free Press reported that only one new major assembly facility has been announced: the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant in Detroit, which plans to hire up to 3,850 workers.

It has not opened yet. The plant has been under construction since 2018 and is set to begin production later in 2020.

The other two plants are planning to hire fewer than 450 people, according to the Post.

Trump has referenced the creation of auto plants frequently during his campaign. According to the Washington Post's database of Trump's false and misleading claims, Trump has made misleading claims about Michigan auto plants 14 times.

The state, which went for Trump in the 2016 election, remains important in this year's electoral map. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is up by 4.2 points in the state, according to the RealClearPolitics average.

At Thursday's rally, the Trump campaign also removed a New York Times reporter after she tweeted about few attendees wore masks. Additionally, Trump compared his decision to knowingly downplay the coronavirus to Americans to Winston Churchill's leadership to "keep calm and carry on."

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