Planned Nissan layoffs unrelated to Trump tariff plans | Fact check

A Nov. 17 Threads post (directlink, archive link) claims one of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed economic plans has caused labor cutbacks at a famous auto manufacturer.
“Nissan just announced 9000 layoffs in Tennessee to avoid severe losses due to expected tariffs,” the post reads. “Experts expect more.”
The post’s caption says, “Want to know how to piss off a trump voter?”
The post was shared more than 100 times in four days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook.
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A company spokesperson said the proposed layoffs have nothing to do with Trump’s plan to raise tariffs. The 9,000 figure also includes employees worldwide, not just in the Tennessee or the U.S.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to raise tariffs after returning to office, promising to drive up the price of imported goods to increase the appeal of American-made products.
Some online users linked that pledge to an announcement made by the Japanese car manufacturer Nissan in a Nov. 7 financial report, just two days after the election. In the report, the company announced several cost-saving plans, including reducing its workforce by 9,000 as it cuts global production by 20%.
But Kyle Bazemore, a Nissan spokesperson, told USA TODAY the announcement “had nothing to do with any proposed actions by the incoming administration.”
Bazemore said the company was taking measures to meet customers’ needs and ensure competitiveness, including “reducing global production capacity and headcount … to align production to market demand.”
He said no plans had been finalized, but the potential job cuts would affect more than just the U.S. The financial report doesn’t mention cuts in Tennessee but instead references a reduction in the company’s “global workforce.” The state is home to the company’s largest manufacturing facility, the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant.
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The report shows the company’s profits had been dropping long before Trump won his second term. Global sales fell 3.8% for the first half of the financial year, Reuters reported. Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said that the company misread the U.S. demand for hybrid vehicles, Reuters reported. “We didn’t foresee HEVs ramping up this rapidly,” he said.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters, AFP and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
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