(WXYZ) — On what he called "Liberation Day," President Donald Trump walked into the White House Rose Garden to announce sweeping new tariffs against dozens of countries.
“With today's action, we are finally going to be able to make America great again. Greater than ever before,” Trump said at the podium.
VIDEO: Trump announces baseline 10% tariff on imports for all US trade partners
The tariffs include a 10% minimum tariff and a 25% tariff on all foreign automobiles.
As part of the small crowd, President Trump invited roughly 20 auto workers to the event, including Nick Nabozny, Geoff Booth, and Brendan Fluker, who all work at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.
“I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," said Nabozny. "It was definitely an amazing opportunity to be a part of this.”
“During his speech, he mentioned us probably 15 times,” said Fluker. "He seems to really care about bringing these jobs back to America."
I first met Fluker in September, when he attended his first Trump rally in Flint and was sold on the promise of tariffs. Now, 6 months later, he was there as the executive order was signed.
“I never in a million years thought I was actually going to be there when he signed the tariffs into law, and I never thought I would get the pen he signed the tariffs with,” Fluker said.
The auto workers were all given pens from the President. While many auto workers celebrate the news, industry analysts express concern.
“You can't put a 25% tariff on cars and car parts and expect prices to not go up,” said analyst John McElory. "There's no question there’s going to be short-term pain in it.”
McElroy worries the rise in prices would cause a decline in sales and hurt consumers.
“There will be some production that comes back to the US, but it might be a wash," said McElroy. "If car sales go down, even if production comes back, there may not be that much change.”
FULL INTERVIEW: John McElroy of Autoline discusses the possible impacts of tariffs
While there are exceptions for USMCA-compliant items from Canada and Mexico, Canadian industry experts say many products and parts will still be impacted.
Flavio Volpe is President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association in Canada. He detailed the impact of tariffs on Canada in a thread on X.
"The biggest loser is going to be the American auto sector, American auto workers, and American customers,” said Volpe. "If that sounds a little convenient for me as a Canadian, saying that, well, we serve the exact same ecosystem in equal parts."
“A strong auto industry is important to me because I'm third generation. I live this, this is my life,” said Booth, who says his grandfather retired from the same plant he works at today. "Bringing this work back to America, putting American workers back to work, it's going to not just help our economy, it's going to build our community as well.”
While both sides say they want the same outcome, they disagree on how to get there, and as the tariffs take effect, they both brace for the impact.
“The American people are going to see it soon," said Booth. "It may take a year or two for these factories to be built that need to have new factories built here, but the investment is here.”
“Could there be some benefit in it? Maybe," said McElroy. "But man, is it going to be expensive. We're going to pay a lot to get that benefit."
