... market forces are tough to beat, even if you’re president. Trump captured the White House thanks in large part to the story he told -- that he could reverse America’s industrial decline. He promised to bring back manufacturing and fossil-fuel jobs written off as casualties of global trade and over-regulation.





But almost halfway through Trump’s first term, divergences from his “Make America Great Again” story line continue to pile up, pushed along by technology, globalization and a changing climate.





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It’s unclear whether Trump has authority to revoke subsidies without action by Congress. It’s also difficult, if not impossible, for Trump to overcome the dynamics that are driving companies to choose robots over humans, discontinue brands and close plants. Some are choosing to build nearer to their consumers and supply chains, including in China, while others are moving production lines to lower-cost countries, like Mexico.





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Market forces, however, have proved too powerful. For Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive, the plan to close a handful of older plants and dismiss more than 14,000 employees came down to basic economics. Consumers are shunning sedans like GM’s Chevrolet Cruze in favor of pickups and SUVs. With some factories down to one shift a day, GM said it needed to cut its capacity to make traditional passenger cars and free up resources to invest in autonomous and electric vehicles. It’s keeping lower-cost production in Mexico.





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GM’s restructuring comes less than two years after Trump praised the company for promising to invest $1 billion in its U.S. operations. It was one of many such pledges by large companies -- even though some were reiterating existing plans -- meant to gain favor with the new administration. The jobs GM promised, however, have largely gone to Silicon Valley, where it’s developing autonomous vehicles.





GM shares are down 10 percent this year, compared with the S&P 500 Index’s 0.3 percent gain. The carmaker was up 0.4 percent to $36.85 in early New York trading on Wednesday.





Like GM, Ford Motor Co. said it will exit much of the passenger-car market to focus on SUVs and trucks. It also has said it will lay off workers as part of an $11 billion restructuring.





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Jawboning aside, Trump was unable to stop job losses at a Carrier Corp. air-conditioning plant in Indianapolis. Soon after winning office, he made a highly publicized visit to the factory in a bid to stop Carrier from moving positions to Monterrey, Mexico. The company kept the plant open after receiving millions in state subsidies. But about 600 workers ended up losing their jobs anyway.



