By Ben Meiselas
Donald Trump just handed British luxury carmakers a sweetheart deal and left Michigan autoworkers in the dust. I sat down with Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist on the MeidasTouch Podcast to unpack the utter disaster of Trump’s so-called UK trade agreement. Spoiler alert: it’s not even a real trade deal. It’s a concept of a concept of a deal. It’s a vanity project dressed up as policy, and it's blowing up in Trump's face. Yes, already.
Let’s break this down. Trump personally intervened to lower tariffs on Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, and Land Rover from 25% to 10%. Meanwhile, American automakers, especially those with factories in Mexico and Canada, are still getting slammed with 25% tariffs under the USMCA. That means it’s now cheaper to import a UK-made luxury vehicle than a car built with American parts by American workers. General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis are furious. And they should be.
As Gilchrist put it, “Trump is a rich guy doing rich guy stuff.” And it's working against the people of Michigan. The very workers Trump pretends to champion are losing their jobs—hundreds already laid off at Chrysler's Stellantis plant because of his trade war. And that pain is spreading.
Gilchrist didn’t mince words: “Even if Trump had goals that helped the people of Michigan, I don’t trust his team to get it done.” He’s right. Trump isn’t just incompetent He’s malicious. His policies are designed to reward billionaires and punish working people. And now, even rural voters—once part of Trump’s base—are waking up. A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows his approval among rural voters has dropped a staggering 19 points since February.
But Gilchrist isn't just here to call out the chaos—he's offering solutions. As a trained engineer and former Microsoft software developer, he’s spent his time in office solving real problems, including building 60,000 new housing units across Michigan, expanding Medicaid, and increasing mental health care access. This isn’t theory. It’s results. And now he’s running for governor to take that progress further.
Gilchrist’s message was clear: Trump and his Michigan imitators are “like an SNL skit”—cruel, incompetent, and totally disconnected from the needs of everyday people. Michigan deserves better. America deserves better.
We need to call out Trump’s grift and hold him accountable. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about tariffs or trade jargon. It’s about people. People like the laid-off autoworker trying to keep up with her mortgage. People trying to afford health care. People watching their jobs disappear so Trump can cruise around in a discounted Bentley.
I hope you enjoy this interview. If you have a moment, please consider adding the MeidasTouch Podcast as well on your favorite podcast platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you’ve done that already, share it with a friend. Consider leaving a 5-star review. Let’s continue to get these messages spread far and wide.
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