John McElroy is a thought leader in the auto industry. He currently broadcasts three radio segments on WWJ, writes a blog for Auto Blog and a monthly column for Wards Auto.
Speaking with WDET News Director Jerome Vaughn at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, McElroy warned that the industry is at “a near breaking point, particularly in Michigan.”
“There is a host of things that is hitting the industry all at once, and unprecedented in history,” he said. “So it’s something where I think we need much greater leadership than what we’re seeing right now within the industry itself — from our elected leaders as well — because we’ve seen the U.S. auto industry shrink tremendously over the last couple of decades, and without the proper policies and procedures coming in place, we’re in danger of losing a whole lot more.”
McElroy says the price of cars is too high, tariffs are hurting the market, and the electric vehicle transition has stalled.
–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.
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At the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island last week, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist announced new incentive programs aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and retaining talent in the state.
The $107 million in grants from the state Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) are meant to lay out “a roadmap to train 5,000 new infrastructure workers by 2030 to meet Michigan’s critical infrastructure needs,” according to the governor’s office.
Gilchrist also announced the launch of Make MI Home, a statewide grant program supporting talent retention and attraction efforts across the state.
“I think this is all about making it easier for people to say yes to living in the state of Michigan, yes to growing in the state of Michigan, yes to succeeding in the state of Michigan,” Gilchrist told WDET. “That’s what I want to do.”
The Make MI Home funding includes $210,000 for housing for new grads looking to start businesses in Detroit; $100,000 for attracting and retaining college students in Flint; and nearly $60,000 for housing and childcare programs in the Traverse City area, among other programs. The grants will also help support building out broadband internet, and making solar energy more accessible to people in Michigan’s urban areas.
“Peopleneedtoseeafutureforthemselveseverywhere — acommunitytheycanafford,ahomethattheycanafford,andwehaveworkedtodothatandbuildsolutionsforthatallacrossthestateofMichigan,” Gilchrist said. “But I know that one of the anxieties that parents have all across Michigan, whether you are on the eastern Peninsula or the east side of Detroit where I’m from, parents are worried about their kids growing up, leaving and never coming home.”
Gilchrist says the bottom line of these programs is to ensure Michigan remains competitive.
“We want them to say yes in Michigan, so we can build the things that matter. And so that means one: they have to be confident that our workforce is prepared. They have to be confident that our infrastructure is solid,” he said. “That’s why we’ve made these historic investments.”
Gilchrist has taken a larger role in announcing statewide programs more recently — likely tied to his run for governor.
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In an interview with WDET during the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference, Hoekstra said the economy is strong, and that worries about tariffs and a trade war with Canada are overblown.
“They’re not going to have a dramatic impact, OK?” Hoekstra said. “They will have an impact, but it’s not fundamentally going to change this relationship.”
Hoekstra said he thinks there will be a full re-working of the trade agreement between the U.S. and Canada within the next couple years.
He also dismissed concerns about President Donald Trump’s desire to make Canada the 51st state, calling the threat a “sign of affection” — something that has been outright rejected by Canadian leadership and its populace.
“Why they’re offended by such a generous offer, I’m not sure, but they are,” he said. “We have to deal with it, and we will.”
Still, Michigan is consistently a top destination for Canadians for business and leisure travel, and with the newly constructed Gordie Howe International Bridge set to open by the end of the year, Hoekstra says he expects the relationship between the two countries to improve.
“Canadaisoursecondlargesttradingpartner,70-80%ofwhattheyexportcomessouth.That’snotgoingtogoaway,” he said. “Ifanything,we’vegotapresidentthatisenergizingtheAmericaneconomy.WehaveaprimeministerinCanadathatwantstotrytodothesamethinginCanada.Andwhenthey’rebothsuccessful,we’regoingtohaveanenergizedNorthAmerica.”
–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said that the Detroit-Windsor area is the “busiest active border crossing in North America,” and that about $200 billionof trade flows between the two countries annually.
A border that is active has plenty of infrastructure that needs to be maintained. Regine Beauboeuf, CEO of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel for American Roads, oversees the bridges, tunnels and toll roads that exist between the two countries.
She joined The Metro live from Mackinac Island on Wednesday to discuss what her job entails and to provide more insight on the consequences of the trade war between the U.S. and Canada.
American Roads is a U.S.-based owner and operator of transportation infrastructure, including toll assets, and currently operates three toll bridges — including the international tunnel connecting Detroit with Windsor.
She spoke about the region’s unique cross-border economy and why she doesn’t expect to see a major impact at the border from Trump’s recent tariffs.
“Together Detroit and Windsor, really that’s its own ecosystem,” she said. “We’ve been working together; it’s not just trade, it’s also people [who] will come to work, like the health care workers who are coming here; you have people with families or in-laws in other countries…so there is a very strong history between Windsor and Detroit and I don’t think you’ll see that being affected.”
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would like to cap her second term by landing a massive microchip factory for Michigan before she leaves office at the start of 2027.
Whitmer delivered a brief address from a pristine, high-tech training lab at Kettering University in Flint, where she set the “ambitious, but attainable goal.”
“This would be a transformational, once-in-a-century investment,” she said. “It would change the destiny of an entire region and state – making it an economic magnet for ambitious families to move here and to put down roots, and it’s exactly what we need.”
She said landing chip factory, colloquially called a fab, would build on Michigan’s industrial legacy by bringing a semiconductor supply chain to the state.
“We cannot sit on our hands while other states and countries, without our manufacturing advantages, pass us by,” she said.
The Democratic governor said thousands of construction and modern factory jobs are at stake. The governor did not name a specific project or outline a plan, but she mentioned speaking to President Donald Trump at a White House dinner about a project in Genesee County, which is creating an advanced manufacturing zone.
“It’s nearly 1,200 square acres and it is a perfect opportunity to attract the type of investment that the governor was talking about today,” said Tyler Rossmaessler, executive director of the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance. “Something that would create thousands of jobs, create good-paying jobs, provide billions of dollars of investment.”
Whitmer has faced pushback from Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature on her signature business incentives program. Critics say state incentive programs have lacked transparency and failed to deliver on promised jobs. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) has proposed moving money from the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve fund to pay for roads. Progressives have also line up against the incentives, arguing public money should not be spent on corporate welfare.
“There are some on the far left and the far right in Lansing who say we should unilaterally disarm, just get rid of those tools and let the jobs go to Georgia, Kentucky, Arizona or, god forbid, Ohio,” said Whitmer. “I say, hell no.”
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A new survey by the University of Michigan finds confidence in the U.S. economy is steadily eroding.
Researchers say the widely-watched Consumer Sentiment Index has shown a sharp decline throughout this year.
The director of the survey, Joanne Hsu, told WDET those responding have a somber view of the nation’s financial future.
Listen: Consumer Sentiment Index highlights widespread anxiety amid economic uncertainty
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Joanne Hsu: One of the huge factors that we’re hearing from consumers is that they’re worried about the impact of trade policy on the economy. This month we had over 2/3 of consumers telling us spontaneously about the impact of tariffs. And largely speaking, these concerns are not positive. People who mentioned tariffs are really worried about inflation coming back. They’re worried that unemployment is going to get worse. It’s not just about tariffs being high. After all, we did capture a few days of interviews after the pause on China tariffs. They’re really worried about uncertainty, unpredictability and instability with policy. They know it makes it really hard for businesses to plan and for consumers to plan as well.
Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: I understand that this is the lowest that you have seen the Consumer Index be in three years?
JH: That is correct. We are near historic lows. Consumers are really feeling quite negative about the economy across multiple dimensions, their personal finances, buying conditions for big-ticket items, business conditions and labor markets. It’s very loud and clear across demographics and across aspects of the economy.
QK: If it’s been going down for a number of years then that would include the previous occupants of the White House. Have you noticed a difference among consumers since the Trump administration took over from the Biden administration?
JH: The sentiment did rise right after the election. There was a temporary post-election bump. But in December, as Trump started talking more about his planned tariff policy, that’s really when sentiment started to take a turn for the worse. And when we look at the impact from the major policy announcements that happened, tariffs on our North American neighbors, reciprocal global tariffs, after each of these consumer sentiment worsened. Again, the major reason for this is people are concerned that inflation is going to come roaring back. And inflation has been the number one thing on people’s minds for several years now. In 2022, when we hit the all-time historic low, inflation was raging. Consumers have been telling us loud and clear since then that they’re really worried about the cost of living.
QK: Is there any positives you can take from what you’re seeing in the index?
JH: I’d say the positive thing is that it hasn’t gotten that much worse from last month. We had three consecutive months of very, very steep decline. So the fact that it didn’t tank further this month, I think, should be welcome news. The other thing is that consumers are bracing for the impact of tariffs, but they don’t actually believe that inflation has already gotten out of control. They recognize that inflation slowed over the last couple of years. Of course, they remain frustrated by high prices.
We had historically low sentiment in 2022 but consumers were still willing to spend despite that lack of confidence. One of the big differences between then and now are consumer views of labor markets and their incomes. After the pandemic labor markets were very, very strong. Consumers’ incomes were very reliable. So in spite of the fact that they felt terrible about the economy they were willing to spend because they had the income to support it. Today, it’s different. Consumers are starting to tell us that their incomes are getting weaker. The expected probability of job loss has gone up. We have 2/3 of consumers expecting unemployment to worsen in the year ahead. That labor market confidence we saw three years ago just isn’t here anymore, which does not bode well for consumer spending going forward.
Editor’s note: This interview was re-aired on The Metro on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Listen to the Metro segment below.
More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, May 20, 2025:
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In this epsiode of MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben and Zach Gorchow sit down with State Senator Mallory McMorrow to discuss why she’s running for Michigan’s open US Senate seat.
Plus, people have grown accustomed to remote work since the pandemic, but is it here to stay? We discuss how remote work has affected state government employees and whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will have them return to in-person work full time.
Is remote work here to stay for state government employees?
Discussing the cost of remote work
State Senator Mallory McMorrow on her run for Michigan’s open US Senate seat
Democrats nationally have been struggling to form an identity since the recent presidential elections. McMorrow said that while establishment Democrats may not be meeting the moment, newer voices could help give the party a stronger sense of direction.
“My sense is that the Democratic Party needs a shakeup, but that’s not going to come from the party itself,” she said. “It is going to come again from candidates and people, in every state across the country, running the types of campaigns that are going to reshape what this party is, how it presents itself.”
In addition to McMorrow, former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed and 11th Congressional District Representative Haley Stevens are also running for the state’s open senate seat as Democrats. The election will take place Nov. 3, 2026.
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today. Give now »
By JAMEY KEATEN, DAVID McHUGH, ELAINE KURTENBACH and KEN MORITSUGU, Associated Press
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. and Chinese officials said Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in their trade war to allow for more talks on resolving their trade disputes.
Stock markets rose sharply as the globe’s two major economic powers took a step back from a clash that has unsettled the global economy. Economists warned that tariffs still remained higher than before and that the outcome of future talks was uncertain.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30%, while China agreed to lower its rate on U.S. goods by the same amount to 10%.
The two officials struck a positive tone as they said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues. Bessent said at the news briefing following two days of talks that the high tariff levels would have amounted to a complete blockage of each side’s goods — an outcome neither side wants.
“The consensus from both delegations this weekend is neither side wants a decoupling,” Bessent said. “And what had occurred with these very high tariff … was an embargo, the equivalent of an embargo. And neither side wants that. We do want trade.”
“We want more balanced trade,” he said. “And I think that both sides are committed to achieving that.”
The delegations, escorted around town and guarded by scores of Swiss police, met for at least a dozen hours on both days of the weekend at a sunbaked 17th-century villa that serves as the official residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.
At times, the delegation leaders broke away from their staffs and settled into sofas on the villa’s patios overlooking Lake Geneva, helping deepen personal ties in the effort to reach a much-sought deal.
Finally, a deal
China’s Commerce Ministry said the two sides agreed to cancel 91% in tariffs on each other’s goods and suspend another 24% in tariffs for 90 days, bringing the total reduction to 115 percentage points.
The ministry called the agreement an important step for the resolution of the two countries’ differences and said it lays the foundation for further cooperation.
“This initiative aligns with the expectations of producers and consumers in both countries and serves the interests of both nations as well as the common interests of the world,” a ministry statement said.
China hopes the United States will stop “the erroneous practice of unilateral tariff hikes” and work with China to safeguard the development of their economic and trade relations, injecting more certainty and stability into the global economy, the ministry said.
The joint statement issued by the two countries said China also agreed to suspend or remove other measures it has taken since April 2 in response to the U.S. tariffs.
China has increased export controls on rare earths, including some critical to the defense industry, and added more American companies to its export control and unreliable entity lists, restricting their business with and in China.
Markets rally as two sides de-escalate
The full impact on the complicated tariffs and other trade penalties enacted by Washington and Beijing remains unclear. And much depends on whether they will find ways to bridge longstanding differences during the 90-day suspension.
Bessent said in an interview with CNBC that U.S. and Chinese officials will meet again in a few weeks.
But investors rejoiced as trade envoys from the world’s two biggest economies blinked, finding ways to pull back from potentially massive disruptions to world trade and their own markets.
Futures for the S&P 500 jumped 2.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2%. Oil prices surged more than $1.60 a barrel and the dollar gained against the euro and the Japanese yen.
“This is a substantial de-escalation,” said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics. But he warned “there is no guarantee that the 90-day truce will give way to a lasting ceasefire.”
Dani Rodrik, an economist at Harvard University, said that the two countries had stepped back “from a needless trade war’’ but that U.S. tariffs on China remain high at 30% “and will mainly hurt U.S. consumers.’’
U.S. President Donald Trump “has obtained absolutely nothing from China for all the chaos he generated. Zilch,’’ Rodrik wrote, posting on Bluesky.
Trump last month raised U.S. tariffs on China to a combined 145%, and China retaliated by hitting American imports with a 125% levy. Tariffs that high essentially amount to the two countries boycotting each other’s products, disrupting trade that last year topped $660 billion.
The announcement by the U.S. and China sent shares surging, with U.S. futures jumping more than 2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged nearly 3% and benchmarks in Germany and France were both up 0.7%
The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on countries worldwide, but its fight with China has been the most intense. Trump’s import taxes on goods from China include a 20% charge imposed because Trump says Beijing has not done enough to stop trafficking in the precursor chemicals used to make the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
“The drop from sky-high to merely high tariffs, along with the uncertainty about the path of future tariffs, will still serve as a constraint on trade and investment flows between the two economies,” said Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University.
“Nevertheless, it is a positive omen for the world economy that U.S. tariffs might eventually end up as significant trade barriers but not unsurmountable walls that block off international trade altogether,’’ he said.
McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany; Kurtenbach from Mito, Japan; and Moritsugu from Beijing. Associated Press writer Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, left, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent take part in a press conference after two days of closed-door discussions on trade between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, May 12, 2025. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
A report released this week by Oakland University shows its economic impact on the state has reached almost $2 billion dollars.
The report from the Anderson Economic Group for fiscal year 2024 shows OU generated more than $1.9 billion in new economic impact and supported nearly 6,500 jobs in Michigan.
The final figure represents direct and indirect economic activity and employment.
Direct impacts are driven by investments from the university, while indirect impacts reflect how spending circulates through the economy.
“At Oakland (University) we are making a profound difference in the lives of our students and in the enterprises of businesses,” said OU President Ora Pescovitz. “Small business, medium-size business and large businesses and in our communities from urban to suburban to rural.”
For comparison, a study done by Anderson at Central Michigan University for fiscal year 2016, its economic impact on Michigan contributed $1.2 billion and created nearly 12,000 jobs.
And a 2018 report done on economic impacts at Western Michigan University showed a $1.6 billion of economic output in the Kalamazoo 3-county region of Kalamazoo, Van Buren, and Calhoun counties and economic activity supporting 16,690 jobs.
The OU jobs figure includes 3,569 new faculty and staff positions directly employed by OU and 2,848 indirectly generated jobs in other industries in the state due to expenditures by university faculty, staff and students.
The university also generated $76 million dollars from $37.3 million local, state and federal funds invested in research.photo by Matt Fahr
“This is just our baseline, our vision is that by 2030 we are going to markedly increase these statistics,” said Pescovitz. “I am proud of these numbers, but frankly they are nowhere near enough.”
The report compiled in 2019 showed OU generated an economic impact of $957 with $51 million in state appropriations through the State School Aid Act. The new AEG report shows $1.9 billion with $72.8 million in state appropriations.
OU ranks 8th out of 15 state public universities in annual appropriations.
In 2024, Oakland University had 98,093 alumni living in Michigan and collectively they earned nearly $5.8 billion.
“A greater percent of our graduates remain in Michigan than from any other public university,” said Pescovitz.
The university also generated $76 million dollars from $37.3 million local, state and federal funds invested in research.
“The analysis shows that OU is a driver of regional economic activity, with alumni contributions and earnings extending their positive influence across Michigan,” said Patrick Anderson, CEO of AEG.
The study highlights the university’s vital role in boosting regional development and supporting jobs across Michigan.
In FY 2024, OU generated more than $1.9 billion in net new economic impact.
photo courtesy OU
The Michigan Global Talent Initiative released a report saying Michigan is on track to add 125,000 college-educated immigrants to the state’s job market as part of the state’s Sixty by 30 goal.
The goal aims to have 60% of Michigan’s workforce to obtain a post-secondary degree or professional credential by 2030.
Steve Tobocman, executive director at Global Detroit, says the state has added nearly 55,000 new college educated foreign born individuals, or immigrants, to the job market since 2019.
“We created an ambitious plan with business and state government and local Chambers of Commerce to almost double that and raise the number of high-skilled immigrants joining the Michigan economy to 120,000 to 125,000 by the year 2030,” he said.
Tobocman says Michigan is also the first state to develop a comprehensive immigrant inclusion strategy to help the group reach its goals.
“If we had done nothing, had no strategy around immigrant talent, we probably would have added 65,000 college-educated immigrant workers to the workforce by 2030, which would roughly mean about 12% of the overall goal,” he said,
Tobocman says Michigan has over 38,000 international students who account for 70% of the graduate school students in advanced STEM fields. However, students need support to integrate into jobs and stay in Michigan post-graduation.
“While the nation is having its own debates about border security and the right frame of immigration, this kind of talent initiative is one that has received bipartisan support, that the first appropriations happened under the Republican legislature,” he said.
Still, he says, the initiative is seeking funding to continue these programs.
From May 20-22, Global Detroit and the city of Detroit will co-host “Welcoming Interactive,” gathering leaders to welcome immigrants and provide resources.
Tobocman’s conversation with WDET’s Nargis Rahman was featured on The Metro this week. Take a listen below.
More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, May 7, 2025:
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Housing policies are not just for the current time they’re created in. They produce laws and rules around housing that affects future generations, even if they weren’t intended to.
Detroit’s Black homeowners have faced systemic barriers due to predatory governance, which generates public revenue through discriminatory policies.
Professor Bernadette Atuahene, the author of “Plundered,” works at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, focusing on land stolen from people in the African Diaspora. Her research highlights the urgent need for housing reforms to address racial inequities in property ownership.
She joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss her years spent in Detroit trying to understand the way housing policies have prevented or overturned homeownership for many Black folks in the region.
Professor Atuahene will be speaking at a rally on Friday, May 16 at 3:15 p.m. at the Detroit Public Library’s Main Branch, 5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, May 6, 2025:
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President Donald Trump was in Michigan on Tuesday, visiting Selfridge Air National Guard Base before speaking at Macomb Community College.
The White House says the trip was in celebration of his first 100 days in office.
Listen: WDET’s Alex McLenon discusses Trump’s Macomb County trip on The Metro
Selfridge Air National Guard Base
Selfridge has operated a fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs since 2009. But with that plane retiring, questions over whether the base would get a replacement have muddied its future.
Those concerns are now eased. During his visit, President Trump announced Selfridge will receive 21 new F-15s.
“This is the best there is anywhere in the world — the F-15EX Eagle II,” Trump said. “This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of Northern American air power.”
Trump added there are also plans to update the refueling planes at Selfridge. The president was joined at the announcement by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who he credited with bringing the bases need for a new plane to his attention.
Macomb Community College
After Selfridge, the president headed to Macomb Community College, where he gave a campaign-style speech to a crowd of supporters. Trump used his time at the podium to tell the crowd he’s making good on promises, including on tariffs and immigration.
He also told the crowd he’s making good on promises on topics like immigration, and took aim at ongoing court battles against his administration.
“We cannot allow a handful of communists and radical left judges to obstruct the enforcement of our laws and assume the duties that belong solely to the President of the United States,” Trump said.
The administration is facing a number of legal challenges over its handling of deportations and funding cuts. A federal judge ordered the White House to restore $12 million in funding to Radio Free Europe.
Despite stock market volatility in his first 100 days, Trump told supporters he feels his economic plan is working. The president also repeated criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates, telling the crowd that Powell is doing a bad job.
“You’re not supposed to criticize the Fed,” Trump said. “You’re supposed to let him do his own thing. But I know much more about interest rates than he does about interest rates — believe me.”
The Federal Reserve has said it’s holding off on cutting interest rates for now in order to fight inflation. Some economists say tariff uncertainty isn’t making the Fed’s life easier.
More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, April 30:
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