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Culture

GM fact-checks Trump tweet about the Chevy Cruze

Commentary: The president-elect threatens General Motors with punitive measures, claiming that the Chevy Cruze is made in Mexico and imported tax-free.
2 min read

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.

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Cruzing for a bruising?

JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

When Donald Trump wakes up, there are certain issues that occupy his mind and, thus, his tweets.

On Tuesday, it was the Chevy Cruze. The president-elect believes that General Motors is pulling a fast one on America.

"General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers -- tax free across border. Make in U.S.A.or pay big border tax!" he tweeted.

This was news to some. How could this be possible? Moreover, GM CEO Mary Barra is a member of Trump's economic Strategy and Policy Forum. Surely she wouldn't countenance any attempt to make America less great and more poor.

"All Chevrolet Cruze sedans sold in the U.S. are built in GM's assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio," the company said in a statement sent to media outlets. "GM builds the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for global markets in Mexico, with a small number sold in the U.S."

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Of the 190,000 Cruzes sold in the US last year, 4,500 were hatchbacks made in Mexico, CNBC reported. GM did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the hatchbacks' tax status.

Perhaps it's those hatchbacks that Trump had in mind. But are 4,500 cars really worth a tweet that will reverberate across trading floors, where there will always be speculation about which company Trump will target next?

It seems that anyone, at any time, might be in the crosshairs of a Trump tweet. After sniping at GM, the president-elect pointed his large tweeting finger at Congress.

In two tweets, he said: "With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!" He added "#DTS," aka Drain The Swamp. The tweet was in response to House Republicans deciding Monday to gut an independent ethics office that oversees members of Congress, CBS News reported.

Might it therefore be an idea to export Congress to Mexico tax-free and have Apprentice Congresspeople, culled from the best Twitter commenters, serving on rolling three-month assignments?

It could be a small step toward making America great again.