FACT CHECK: Did Trump Say Lee Iacocca Endorsed His Tariff Plan?

A post shared on Facebook claims President Donald Trump said automobile executive Lee Iacocca endorsed his tariff plan.

Verdict: False

Trump praised an unnamed colleague of Iacocca’s at a recent White House event highlighting his tariffs. He did not claim Iacocca endorsed his tariffs.

Fact Check:

China has announced 34% across-the-board tariffs in response to Trump’s recent tariff plan, according to The New York Times. In addition, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has labeled 11 American companies as “unreliable entities,” thereby barring them from doing business with China, the outlet reported.

The Facebook post claims Trump said Iacocca endorsed his tariff plan. “BREAKING: Trump says Lee Iacocca endorsed his tariff plan. Lee Iacocca died in 2019,” the post, which does not provide a source to support its claim, reads.

The claim is false. During a recent White House event highlighting his tariffs, Trump described seeing an individual who worked with Iacocca on TV, a clip from C-SPAN shows.

“You know, I watched a gentleman today on television today. He used to work with Lee Iacocca, a very respected automobile person, and he said, you know, because they’re asking people, and they try and get as many negative people as they can, but they can’t find them too much. It’s pretty hard to find in terms of what we’re doing, especially when they see all this investment. They said, ‘So tell me, what do you think of what Trump is doing from the automobile standpoint?’ He said, ‘I can’t believe it.’ Somebody is finally, he’s an older guy, a real pro, really top guy with Lee Iacocca,” Trump said. At no point did Trump claim Iacocca had endorsed his tariffs.

Likewise, the claim is not referenced on Trump’s personal or government X accounts, his TRUTH Social account, or his verified social media accounts. In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On April 3, Lead Stories debunked the claim, citing the same remarks Trump delivered about Iacocca’s unnamed colleague. (RELATED: Viral X Image Does Not Show Authentic TRUTH Social Post From Trump About ‘Ending Tariffs’)

Iacocca, who led both Ford and Chrysler, died in 2019 at age 94, according to The New York Times.