The White House on Tuesday promoted a Ford investment in American plants, most of which was part of a plan the automaker first announced in 2015.
The U.S. auto giant on Tuesday outlined new details of its planned $9 billion in U.S. facility investments through 2019. The company said it planned to create or retain 8,500 jobs as part of its 2015 contract with the United Auto Workers.
Ford gave more specifics of its U.S. investment plan Tuesday, saying it will put $1.2 billion into three Michigan plants, planning to create or retain 130 jobs at one of those facilities. About $350 million of that total — including $200 million for a data center — is new, Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president for the Americas, told CNBC.
President Donald Trump trumpeted the "big announcement" before it happened in a Tuesday morning tweet, suggesting it related to his efforts to get American car companies to invest at home.
Advisor Kellyanne Conway also highlighted the Ford announcement, noting that it came "two weeks after" Trump met with auto executives.
Hinrichs said in a statement the company was "proud to be going even further in our commitment to invest in manufacturing here at home."
Trump has pushed automakers and other companies to produce their products in the U.S., saying those efforts will boost American manufacturing and create jobs. He has repeatedly threatened backlash for American companies that make products abroad and try to sell them at home.
Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler have made U.S. jobs announcements since Trump won the presidential election in November, and he has repeatedly touted their plans. However, many of those projects were in the works well before Trump won the presidency.
Since taking office, Trump has met with Ford CEO Mark Fields, General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.
As part of Ford's Tuesday announcement, the company will put $850 million into the Michigan Assembly Plant, which will build its new Ranger and Bronco models. It plans to invest $150 million in the Romeo Engine Plant, where it wants to create or retain 130 jobs, and put another $200 million into an advanced data center.
In January, Ford scrapped plans to build a $1.6 billion factory in Mexico and instead added 700 jobs in Michigan.