Former President Donald Trump threatened John Deere on Monday with a 200% tariff on imported machinery.
Trump criticized the company’s decision to relocate some jobs and manufacturing to Mexico during a roundtable discussion in Pennsylvania focused on agriculture and concerns about China’s influence on the food supply.
“I will tell you that I just noticed behind me John Deere tractors. I know a lot about John Deere. I love the company, but as you know, they’ve announced a few days ago that they’re going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico.”
Trump stated that if he wins, any John Deere machinery imported from Mexico would be hit with a steep tariff.
“I’m just notifying John Deere right now. If you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States. “
Read more by DTN’s Chris Clayton:
Deere announced in 2022 it was moving some machinery production to Mexico. This year, Deere announced plans to build skid steers in Mexico. At the same time Deere has announced cutbacks of more than 1,800 production workers at facilities mainly in Illinois and Iowa.
Deere has pushed back on criticisms about its commitment to U.S. manufacturing, highlighting that the company has invested more than $2 billion in domestic factories since 2019. Deere also notes the company has $27 billion in total U.S. manufacturing capital and employs roughly 30,000 employees across 60 facilities in 16 states.
Deere did not respond to a request for comment late Monday.
Trump warned companies in his first term as president that they would face tariffs if they moved domestic manufacturing overseas while he was in office.
