In a surprise turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump has put in commendable words of appreciation for the automotive company General Motors. Trump, who had made it to the headlines a couple of days ago for having chastised GM and  invoked emergency powers in order to force the company to manufacture ventilators, has turned the tables all of a sudden.

Earlier, the President had been criticized for not having taken a quicker decision regarding the production of medical equipment, amid the crucial scenario of the coronavirus spread. In response, Trump, for the first time, invoked the DPA (Defense Production Act), claiming that GM had been wasting time in negotiations. However, sources familiar with the knowledge of the matter claim that the automakers had already stated that it would commence the production of ventilators as soon as possible, at its plant in Kokoma, in Indiana.

Gerald Johnson, Manufacturing Chief, General Motors, has been claimed to state that the firm targets the production of close to 10,000 ventilators on a monthly basis by summer. The ventilators may be up and running by mid-April, he says, adding that ventilator production will require regulatory approval from the U.S. authorities and massive testing. The company plans to train close to 1,000 workers to assemble the ventilators, Johnson further said.

Speaking highly of GM, President Trump claimed that the company was doing a fantastic job and seems to be very working very hard, and that he had been getting really good reports on the firm’s efforts.

The automobile manufacturing company has been working alongside other auto suppliers, ventilator major Ventec Life Systems, and numerous other ventilator development firms in order to urgently deliver these products to the United States that is grappling the dreaded COVID-19 crisis.

Apparently, GM also intends to manufacture surgical masks at a plant in Michigan and anticipates a production of 50,000 a day by the middle of April.

Source Credits: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-ventilators/trumps-attack-on-gm-over-ventilators-quickly-turns-to-praise-idUSKBN21H098