Trump Defends Tariffs as Audi Announces $4.2B Georgia Plant

President Donald Trump defended his decision to wield tariffs during a campaign rally in Georgia, saying they’ve made the US richer as he announced that Volkswagen AG agreed to build a new $4.2 billion Audi plant in the state. “This will be the single largest investment in U.S. auto industry history, modern history,” Trump told a crowd in the city of Perry. Later, he added, “Without tariffs, they wouldn’t be coming in.” Trump was speaking as Republicans are trying to flip a Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff in the midterm elections, despite trailing in the polls.

Investment and Political Context

The campaign stop marked Trump’s second in the state in as many weeks, an indication of the importance of the Senate contest in Georgia. With less than two weeks until Election Day on Nov. 3, Representative Mike Collins, the Republican candidate, faces an uphill battle in a state that was once a GOP stronghold. The RealClearPolitics average of polls has Ossoff leading by more than eight percentage points, while the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has forecast the race as “likely Democrat.”

The Audi announcement marks a political win for Trump, who has been on the defensive about the domestic effects of his tariffs, particularly on inflation. Bloomberg News reported that Volkswagen plans to manufacture the Audi Q7, Q8, and Q9 models at the Georgia plant. Volkswagen will also expand its Scout Motors plant under construction in Blythewood, South Carolina, adding 25,000 units per year of capacity for a model yet to be determined, according to a U.S. official involved in the talks.

Workers React to Plant News

Audi said in a news release that the $4 billion plant would create some 4,500 jobs with an annual capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles. Construction will begin next year, with the aim of beginning vehicle production in the early 2030s. “We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs and produce them here in Macon, Georgia,” Audi Chairman of the Board of Management Gernot Döllner said at the rally, standing near Trump. “This is a long-term investment because we believe in the American market.”

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Richard Motes, 61, a Perry resident who used to work at an aircraft manufacturer, praised the Audi plant announcement. “If they let me push a button to vote all Republican, I’d push the button.”

Political Stakes Rise in Georgia

Trump has been traveling nearly daily in the run-up to the midterms, seeking to help boost Republicans in competitive races across the country. Polls indicate Democrats are likely to regain control of the House, but the Senate is still in play with Republicans on the defensive in unexpected states such as Texas and Ohio. Georgia also hosts a competitive governor’s race between Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson, which the Cook report has rated a toss-up.

Former President Barack Obama is expected to campaign in Georgia with Ossoff and Bottoms this week. While Ossoff has pledged to serve a full six-year Senate term if reelected, he’s been seen as a potential Democratic 2028 contender. Trump won Georgia in 2016 and 2024 but lost to former President Joe Biden in 2020, prompting the president to promote unfounded theories of fraud in that election. Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes he needed to win the state. Trump and allies were indicted to face allegations of carrying out election interference, but those charges were eventually dropped.

Election Integrity Under Scrutiny

Raffensperger recently told Bloomberg Television that he expects Georgia’s election results to be finalized by midnight on Election Day, downplaying Trump’s continued claims of voter fraud. The state’s role in the national political spotlight highlights the broader challenges facing Trump and his allies as they attempt to influence voter sentiment in key swing states.