Ford's Sudden Battery Plant Closure Leaves 1,600 Jobless; Kentuckians Blame Automaker, Not Trump

Last year, Ford Motor Company partnered with a South Korean firm to invest in a 1,500-acre electric vehicle battery plant in Hardin County, Kentucky—the largest economic development project in the area’s history. However, just four months after the first batteries rolled off the production line, Ford abruptly announced in December that it would halt production and lay off all 1,600 workers, leaving the small town—located about 45 miles south of Louisville—in shock and anger. Local residents widely believe that Ford, not former President Trump, is responsible for the loss of these jobs.