A viral post shared on Threads claims Honda and Toyota are planning to shut down U.S. plants in response to President Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on automobiles and other imported goods.
Verdict: False
Neither Honda nor Toyota has referenced the claim on their respective websites or verified social media accounts. A spokesperson for Honda denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Trump is considering placing a 25% tariff on international wood and lumber products, according to The Hill. Trump referenced the proposed tariff at a Feb. 19 Future Investment Initiative Institute summit, the outlet reported.
The Threads post, which has received over 3,000 likes as of writing, claims Honda and Toyota are planning to shut down U.S. plants in response to Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on automobiles and other imported goods.
“Honda and Toyota are preparing to execute plans to shut down assembly lines in the US because they are not willing to pay a 25% premium on materials. Tens of thousands of workers in plants in Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia will be sent home without pay. Feb 2, 2025,” the Threads post reads. Besides Threads, the claim circulated on Instagram.
The claim is false. Check Your Fact did not find the claim referenced on Honda and Toyota’s respective websites or verified social media accounts. Likewise, Trump does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim via his personal or government X accounts or his TRUTH Social account.
In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Feb. 19, Snopes debunked the claim.
On the same day, Trump proposed 25% tariffs on automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals shipped to the U.S., with the tariffs set to take effect on April 2, according to CNN. Trump had signed a Feb. 1 executive order placing a 10% tariff on imports from China and a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico but paused the tariffs on the latter two countries, according to the same article from Snopes. (RELATED: Viral Instagram Post Falsely Claims Trump Signed Executive Order Putting Two-Year Limit On Public Housing)
Furthermore, a spokesperson for Honda denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“[The post] is inaccurate from our standpoint,” the spokesperson said.
Check Your Fact has also contacted Toyota for comment.
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