Coronavirus Update: President Trump To Visit Ford Plant in Michigan Making Ventilators

KEY POINTS

President Donald Trump will visit Ford plant in Ypsilanti
Ford employees are working with GE Healthcare to produce ventilators at the plant
More than 100,000 ventilators will be produced in the U.S. by July

President Donald Trump made a bold claim in April of helping companies to make 100,000 ventilators in 100 days in America. Now that the country appears to be on track to exceeding this goal that had seemed tough to achieve, Trump has decided to go on a tour of some of the companies that are manufacturing ventilators and other medical equipment. He will be visiting a Ford plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on Thursday (May 21) as a part of the tour.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere announced Trump’s visit on Twitter. Ford workers at the Ypsilanti plant are working with GE Healthcare employees to produce the ventilators.

“The White House asked to visit Ford's Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., as part of the president's tour to thank businesses producing PPE and important medical equipment” Ford said in a statement to Crains Detroit. “We're proud to assemble more vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker and welcome Thursday's visit as part of Ford's longstanding history of hosting sitting presidents and senior government leaders.”

According to the data collected by the Associated Press, based on the federal contracts for ventilators, the Trump administration is on track to produce more than 100,000 ventilators by July 13. By the end of 2020, an estimated 200,000 units will be made. The excess capacity in America has allowed the President to take a lead role in supplying ventilators to countries around the world that are desperately in need of them.

Some 50,000 of these 100,000 ventilators will be supplied by Ford. The company had previously projected that it will produce 1,500 unites by the end of April; 12,000 by end of May; and 50,000 by July 4; USA Today reported. This July 4 will mark the 244^th Independence Day of the United States.

During the initial days of the pandemic, there were concerns about ventilator shortages. However, Trump stepped in by declaring himself the “king of ventilators” and America is now looking at a surplus that can be exported to other countries.

With sufficient medical equipment in hand, Trump has been making plans to slowly reopen the economy. The President has been hosting events at the White House and speaking with the governors of various states about reopening the economy.