The claim comes from Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who used an X post on Wednesday to float a rumor with no named sources behind it: that President Donald Trump is preparing to open the American market to Chinese cars as part of a broader deal.
"We hear rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the U.S., as part of a larger deal he's putting together," Slotkin wrote on X. "That would be a strategic mistake."
That's the entire evidentiary basis. No White House confirmation, no policy change, no indication the topic is even on the agenda. Slotkin didn't cite a soul.
There's a reason to read this one carefully. Slotkin co-authored the Connected Vehicle Security Act, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year. The bill would bar vehicles designed in China, built in China, or made by companies tied to a "covered entity" — China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia — from being sold or imported in the U.S. starting in 2027, with a broader ban on connected-vehicle software and hardware to follow by the top of the decade. A senator warning that Chinese cars might flood in is a senator with a bill to protect.
Slotkin's rumor gets a sliver of plausibility from Trump's own words. In a speech at the Detroit Economic Club earlier this year, he welcomed foreign automakers building on U.S. soil: "If they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire your friends and your neighbors, that's great, I love that. Let China come in, let Japan come in."
The administration's recent record points the other direction. Polestar — owned by Geely — was reportedly pushed out of the U.S. this year. And on Tuesday, according to a brief published by the Department of Transportation, the agency singled out Ford for its CATL-licensed battery tech in Michigan and its Geely tie-up in Spain, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy citing national security. Ford CEO Jim Farley has been public about his admiration for certain Chinese EVs, but also about the need to stay competitive globally and "not let them into our country."
Trump meets Chinese Premier Xi Jinping at the White House on Sept. 24, with energy and trade expected to dominate. Whether cars crack the door or get slammed harder, nobody knows yet.
[Images: Senator Slotkin, WhiteHouse.gov,Xiaomi]
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