Fact-check · Nov 2, 2026 · Donald Trump
“We went forty nine years without building a new one [auto plant]”
FALSE
What the record shows
Last major U.S. auto assembly plant before recent wave: Nissan Smyrna (1983). GM Oklahoma City plant (1979). Gap between major domestic assembly plants was approximately 4-28 years depending on definition, not 49 years.
Sources document Nissan Smyrna plant completed 1983, GM Oklahoma City 1979, and Volkswagen Chattanooga 2011. No 49-year gap exists in U.S. auto assembly plant construction history.
Sources
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