Trump Attacks GM CEO On Twitter Over Ventilator Production

President Trump has called out General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Twitter over the planned production of ventilators to treat COIVD-19 victims apparently stalled.

GM had paired with medical products maker Ventec Life to boost production of ventilators, a breathing assistance device critically needed by patients fighting the COVID-19 illness, which is caused by the novel coronavirus. The COVID-19 illness attacks victims’ lungs and respiratory system. Left untreated, it can be fatal. According to John Hopkins University, the United States now has the most active cases of coronavirus in the world, with known cases about to cross the 100,000 mark as of March 27th. Over 1,500 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far, and health experts are warning the death toll could continue to climb.

But on the morning of March 27, President Trump posted two tweets attacking GM and CEO Barra, saying that “things just never seem to work out” with the carmaker and its leader. Trump said GM was “going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators” but that only 6,000 would be ready by late April. GM’s cooperation with Ventec Life began on March 20th. According to Bloomberg, ventilators require about 700 parts. Trump also claimed that GM was charging “top dollar” for the devices.

In a second missive, President Trump insisted GM reactivate their Lordstown, Ohio manufacturing facility to make the ventilators. However, GM sold the plant in November of 2019 to electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors, which is refitting the facility to make electric pickup trucks.

According to Bloomberg, Ventec and GM have hurriedly converted a car parts plant in Indiana to make 200,000 ventilators, but they are waiting for the government to place an order for a specific number of units, and to pay for them. GM and Ventec has said they were hoping to begin delivering the ventilators in late April, another sore point noted in Trump’s tweet.

Automakers have notably shifted resources and workers to help produce medical equipment in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Ford has partnered with 3M and GE Healthcare to spool up production of equipment needed by frontline medical workers, who have seen demand soar for items such as medical masks, gloves and scrubs as the COVID-19 caseload enlarges. Electric carmaker Tesla is also shifting to build ventilators, possibly partnering with medical equipment maker Medtronic. Fiat Chrysler Automotive, also known as FCA, is working to make millions of medical masks for medical staffers.

President Trump had caused a bit of confusion earlier in the week when he tweeted that carmakers “are being given the go ahead” to make ventilators and other medical supplies. It was not clear what that “go ahead” was, but in the tweets on March 27th, Trump included “invoke P,” which may refer to the Defense Production Act from 1950 that could mandate certain actions by industry when the country is threatened.

Meanwhile, President Trump has suggested he’d like to see workers beginning to return to work if possible by Easter, which falls on April 12th. Automaker Ford said in a press release that they were looking at reopening select facilities in that timeframe, but as the COVID-19 caseload continues to grow in the United States, some health care professionals and politicians saying an April goal of returning to work may not be a good idea.