President Barack Obama will be making a stop in Detroit on Jan. 20 when he visits the North American International Auto Show. It will be his first trip to the Detroit Auto Show as president.
In his weekly address on Saturday, Obama said he will visit the auto show to see the progress of the American auto industry firsthand.
"Seven years ago, the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse. Plants were closing. Hundreds of thousands of workers were getting laid off from jobs that had been their ticket to a middle-class life. And as the pain spread across the country, another one million Americans would have lost their jobs in the middle of the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes," Obama said.
Obama said the plan wasn't popular with critics even calling it a "road to socialism."
"Today, the American auto industry is back. Since our plan went into effect, our automakers have added more than 640,000 new jobs. We’ve cut the Detroit-area unemployment rate by more than half. The Big Three automakers are raising wages. Seven years ago, auto sales hit a 27-year low. Last year, they hit an all-time high," he added.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who represents Michigan's 12th District, released this statement:
“President Obama will witness that Detroit remains in the driver seat where the next-generation products and technologies continue to make their world debuts. I want to personally thank him for his leadership in ensuring we maintain that strength, and he will witness firsthand what hard work and teamwork deliver. I am a car girl and proud of it. I have been showing off what we do at this car show for more than three decades and the thrill of it never diminishes. I cannot wait to see him here.”
It's not clear if Obama will make other stops in the Detroit area. You can watch his weekly address discussing the auto show below.
