WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump slammed the Ford Motor Company on Wednesday for reaching an agreement with California to lower emission standards, even as his administration has sought to relax federal rules around pollution from cars.

"Henry Ford would be very disappointed if he saw his modern-day descendants wanting to build a much more expensive car, that is far less safe and doesn’t work as well, because execs don’t want to fight California regulators," Trump wrote in a tweet.

He continued: "Car companies should know that when this Administration’s alternative is no longer available, California will squeeze them to a point of business ruin. Only reason California is now talking to them is because the Feds are giving a far better alternative, which is much better for consumers!

And in the same tweetstorm: "The Legendary Henry Ford and Alfred P. Sloan, the Founders of Ford Motor Company and General Motors, are “rolling over” at the weakness of current car company executives willing to spend more money on a car that is not as safe or good, and cost $3,000 more to consumers. Crazy!"

Trump's tweets follow a recent report in the New York Times that the White House was blindsided by an agreement between California and four large automakers and that the administration summoned companies to the White House to press them on the issue.

Last year, the Trump administration proposed freezing mile-per-gallon standards for cars and light trucks after the 2020 model year, saying it would keep prices lower for consumers and improve safety. Trump has also taken aim at California's more stringent standards, which the federal government historically allowed under a special exemption.

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Trump has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Detroit, at once crediting his policies with helping to revive the auto industry while also blasting company officials when they announce autoworker layoffs. Trump got into a spat with General Motors last fall after the company announced layoffs and plant closures in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland.

AP Fact Check: Trump's false claims on fuel economy rules

Trump is misrepresenting the facts about his proposal to freeze Obama-era fuel economy requirements at 2021 levels.

In a tweet earlier Wednesday, Trump blasted auto executives as “foolish” and accused the companies of being “politically correct” for resisting the plan, which two of his agencies are putting together in a final regulation.

A look at Trump’s claims and reality:

TRUMP: “My proposal to the politically correct Automobile Companies would lower the average price of a car to consumers by more than $3000, while at the same time making the cars substantially safer. Engines would run smoother. Very little impact on the environment! Foolish executives!”

THE FACTS: Trump is inflating the projected savings to consumers, minimizing the potential environmental harm and may be exaggerating the safety benefits.

His own administration, in documents proposing to freeze the standards, puts the cost of meeting the Obama-era requirements at around $2,700 per vehicle. It claims buyers would save that much by 2025, over standards in place in 2016. But that number is disputed by environmental groups and is more than double the estimates from the Obama administration.

Trump’s tweet also is ignoring money that consumers would save at the gas pump if cars get better mileage. A study released Aug. 7 by Consumer Reports found that the owner of a 2026 vehicle will pay over $3,300 more for gasoline during the life of a vehicle if the standards are frozen at 2021 levels. The administration’s proposed freeze would hold the average fuel economy for the new-vehicle fleet at 29.1 mpg in real-world driving, while the Obama-era standards would raise it to 37.5 mpg by 2026, according to Consumer Reports.

A White House spokesman had no immediate comment on how Trump came up with his claims.

In regards to the environment, Trump claims his proposal would cause little harm, but documents from his own administration say that U.S. fuel consumption would increase by about 500,000 barrels per day, a 2% to 3% increase. Environmental groups predict even more fuel consumed, resulting in higher pollution.

Trump’s statement that cars would be substantially safer also is in dispute. His administration argues that lower-cost vehicles would allow more people to buy new ones that are safer, cutting roadway deaths by 12,700 lives through the 2029 model year. But Consumer Reports says any safety impact from changes in gas mileage standards are small and won’t vary much from zero.

There’s little basis for Trump’s claim that engines would run more smoothly. Early versions of cars with more fuel-efficient transmissions, turbochargers and technology that stops engines at red lights were rough, but those have been refined.

“The automakers have figured out how to use this technology and make the cars smoother driving, too,” said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports director of auto testing.

-- Tom Krisher, Associated Press