Trump backs boycott of Harley Davidson in steel tariff dispute

[ABX]

President Donald Trump backed boycotting American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson Inc on Sunday, the latest salvo in a dispute between the company and Trump over tariffs on steel.
The Wisconsin-based motorcycle manufacturer announced a plan earlier this year to move production of motorcycles for the European Union from the United States to its overseas facilities to avoid the tariffs imposed by the trading bloc in retaliation for Trump's duties on steel and aluminum imports.....

"Many @harleydavidson owners plan to boycott the company if manufacturing moves overseas. Great! Most other companies are coming in our direction, including Harley competitors. A really bad move! U.S. will soon have a level playing field, or better,"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/companies/trump-backs-boycott-of-harley-davidson-in-steel-tariff-dispute/ar-BBLPiSW

[corbe]

   He's partial to 24 carat Gold anyway.

[Wingnut]

Good for Trump. 

Harley is is deep demographic doo doo.  One of Harley's problems is today's Low-T, skinny jeans wearing,  Venti Iced Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato, Sugar-Free Syrup, Extra Shot, Light Ice, No Whip drinking millennial  isn't interested in the motorcycle gang persona or in paying a premium for a heavyweight bike. They are turning their back on the brand, which is why U.S. sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles fell 8% last year and are down 13.5% over the past three years. Globally, they're down 6% and 10%, respectfully. 

If Harley made a scooter for the Pu$$y generation they might be doing better.

[sneakypete]

Good for Trump. 

@The Ghost

I agree,and have been riding Harley's since back to the time the only people riding them were AMA types,or scooter trash.

Harley is is deep demographic doo doo.  One of Harley's problems is today's Low-T, skinny jeans wearing,  Venti Iced Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato, Sugar-Free Syrup, Extra Shot, Light Ice, No Whip drinking millennial  isn't interested in the motorcycle gang persona or in paying a premium for a heavyweight bike.

That ain't what I am seeing. They LOVE that crap. For one thing,it gives them an excuse to buy an all new wardrobe in leather,and a plastic Nazi hat,finger-less gloves,and scarves with skulls on them. If there are two words to describe the cretins ,it is trendy and stylish.

They are turning their back on the brand, which is why U.S. sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles fell 8% last year and are down 13.5% over the past three years.

More likely that is the result of market saturation. Most of the owners don't need to ever buy another new one because the new one they already have spends almost all of it's time riding in a trailer behind a new Suburban.

 

If Harley made a scooter for the Pu$$y generation they might be doing better.

M...U....S....T....N...O...T...R...E...S...P...O...N...D.

[TomSea]

   He's partial to 24 carat Gold anyway.

That gold toilet you have posted pictures of though, has been shown to be a total hoax.

[corbe]

   I stand corrected, @TomSea

[kevindavis007]

He should butt out.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

President Donald Trump backed boycotting American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson Inc on Sunday, the latest salvo in a dispute between the company and Trump over tariffs on steel.
The Wisconsin-based motorcycle manufacturer announced a plan earlier this year to move production of motorcycles for the European Union from the United States to its overseas facilities to avoid the tariffs imposed by the trading bloc in retaliation for Trump's duties on steel and aluminum imports.....

"Many @harleydavidson owners plan to boycott the company if manufacturing moves overseas. Great! Most other companies are coming in our direction, including Harley competitors. A really bad move! U.S. will soon have a level playing field, or better,"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/companies/trump-backs-boycott-of-harley-davidson-in-steel-tariff-dispute/ar-BBLPiSW

Once again, we have Journalistic malpractice rampant in the headline, which does not match the article.

Trump is backing a boycott IF the company moves manufacturing overseas.  That little tidbit after IF is missing in headline.  Harley has not actually done that.
  This is msn.

Here's what a better news source says on the same subject that is more accurate:

Trump Supports Harley Boycott If Some Production Shifts Overseas


https://www.newsmax.com/politics/trump-harley-boycott/2018/08/12/id/876677/

[LMAO]

He should butt out.

He seems to want to insert himself into a lot of things that, as president, he shouldn’t

[thackney]

Once again, we have Journalistic malpractice rampant in the headline, which does not match the article.

Trump is backing a boycott IF the company moves manufacturing overseas.  That little tidbit after IF is missing in headline.  Harley has not actually done that.
  This is msn.

Here's what a better news source says on the same subject that is more accurate:

Trump Supports Harley Boycott If Some Production Shifts Overseas


https://www.newsmax.com/politics/trump-harley-boycott/2018/08/12/id/876677/

Harley has been manufacturing overseas for many years.

Australia, Adelaide – New Castalloy

Brazil, Manaus –Harley-Davidson do Brasil Ltda Assembly Plant

India, Bawal – Harley-Davidson India Bawal Assembly Plant

Thailand, Rayong – Thailand Sales Office and Assembly Plant

https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/about-us/careers/locations.html

[kevindavis007]

He seems to want to insert himself into a lot of things that, as president, he shouldn’t

That is why I said he should Butt out.

[sneakypete]

Harley has been manufacturing overseas for many years.

Australia, Adelaide – New Castalloy

Brazil, Manaus –Harley-Davidson do Brasil Ltda Assembly Plant

India, Bawal – Harley-Davidson India Bawal Assembly Plant

Thailand, Rayong – Thailand Sales Office and Assembly Plant

https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/about-us/careers/locations.html

@thackney @IsailedawayfromFR

IIRC,they are/were planning on opening a plant in China this year.  I can't remember if it was to be a plant that manufactured sub-assemblies or accessories,or was to be a plant to manufacture the whole motorcycles to sell in Asia,but I do remember reading about it.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

@thackney @IsailedawayfromFR

IIRC,they are/were planning on opening a plant in China this year.  I can't remember if it was to be a plant that manufactured sub-assemblies or accessories,or was to be a plant to manufacture the whole motorcycles to sell in Asia,but I do remember reading about it.

Guess I am scratching my head on why Harley, who it says has high tariffs moving bikes into the EU imposed by the EU would shift the production to China to import bikes into the EU.

That would not appear to solve the imposition of tariffs by the EU of bikes sold in the EU if the bikes were made in China, unless EU wanted to impose tariffs ONLY on bikes manufactured in the US.

In that case, then the EU would appear stupid to impose those selective tariffs on bikes, when cars made in the EU are the big money maker.

It suggests that Harley is simply wanting to manufacture overseas for cheaper costs, not tariffs, and it saying tariffs are simply an excuse for it to make the move under that cover.

[sneakypete]

Guess I am scratching my head on why Harley, who it says has high tariffs moving bikes into the EU imposed by the EU would shift the production to China to import bikes into the EU.

That would not appear to solve the imposition of tariffs by the EU of bikes sold in the EU if the bikes were made in China, unless EU wanted to impose tariffs ONLY on bikes manufactured in the US.

In that case, then the EU would appear stupid to impose those selective tariffs on bikes, when cars made in the EU are the big money maker.

It suggests that Harley is simply wanting to manufacture overseas for cheaper costs, not tariffs, and it saying tariffs are simply an excuse for it to make the move under that cover.

@IsailedawayfromFR

No,the idea is to build Harley's in China TO SELL IN CHINA,and other Asian countries. They opened at least two Harley dealerships in China several years ago. The Chinese economy is booming now,and newly flush Chinese want a status symbol like a Harley to show off their wealth.

Plus,I am GUESSING that the ones made in China will have lower import and shipping fees than those made in the US when sold in Australia,Japan,etc,etc,etc. Just guessing here,though.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Harley-Davidson Does Damage Control Following Tariff Dispute with Trump

Harley-Davidson’s CEO Matthew Levatich is doing damage control in an internal company memo following a public dispute with President Trump over imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum.
In a memo released by CNBC, Levatich says Harley-Davidson does not have any “intention” or “desire” to be in a political fight with Trump.

Levatich wrote in the internal memo, without mentioning the president:

It is not our intention or our desire to be in this political spotlight, and the entirety of our effort and focus is to minimize any impact on this great brand, company, the business of our dealers and, critically, the passion and loyalty of our riders who we do everything for. Our goal is the same as the U.S. Administration: we want a level-playing field when it comes to trade, and we are working with government officials to find the best solution for our company and our brand. [Emphasis added]

As we said in our 8K filing in June when the EU enacted retaliatory tariffs on our motorcycles, Harley-Davidson would cover the cost of these tariffs; a cost we estimated to be $90-100M on an annualized basis. We made this decision to preserve rider access to our products, protect the viability of our dealers and maintain our market position in this very important market. We also laid out a 9-18 month plan to mitigate the cost to the company because with the ambitious plan we have for our future, we cannot carry these costs indefinitely.
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/08/14/harley-davidson-does-damage-control-following-tariff-dispute-with-trump/

Well, well. The article has this tidbit:

Harley-Davidson executives have blamed Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminum as the reason for their outsourcing of American jobs, but as Breitbart News reported, the company has been offshoring U.S. jobs for at least a year.