Danielle Lerner

@Danielle_Lerner

President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that a Kentucky Ford Motor Co. assembly plant would not be moving to Mexico, but the company released a statement clarifying that the messages were referencing the production of a specific vehicle.

In two tweets sent out around 9 p.m. Thursday night, Trump said that Ford Motor chairman Bill Ford had told him the company would not be moving one of its Kentucky plants to Mexico.

"Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky - no Mexico," the first tweet read.

Ford, which makes the Ford Escape compact SUV and the MKC in Louisville, said last year it planned to move MKC production to another plant so it could increase production of the Escape, the Detroit Free Press reported. The automaker said at the time that no jobs would be lost in Louisville because of plans to boost Escape production.

Trump doubled down on his claim in a second tweet 15 minutes later, writing, "I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great state of Kentucky for their confidence in me!"

Ford sent out an official statement late Thursday night clarifying Trump's statement, saying that the tweets were in reference to continuing production of a specific Lincoln vehicle in Kentucky, not an entire assembly plant.

"We continue to engage with President-elect Trump’s team – and the new Congress – as they shape the policy agenda for 2017. We have shared our commitment to continue investing in the U.S. and creating American jobs – building on the $12 billion we have invested in our U.S. plants and the nearly 28,000 U.S. jobs Ford has created in the past five years. Ford continues to employ more American autoworkers and produce more American made vehicles than anyone. Today, we confirmed with the President-elect that our small Lincoln utility vehicle made at the Louisville Assembly Plant will stay in Kentucky. We are encouraged that President-elect Trump and the new Congress will pursue policies that will improve U.S. competitiveness and make it possible to keep production of this vehicle here in the United States. We will have more details to share on our future plans at the appropriate time."​

Ford spokeswoman Christin Baker said Ford's plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico was the "likely" location for the MKC in 2019, the Free Press reported. Baker did not say why the automaker changed its plans for the Lincoln SUV. She did confirm that Bill Ford spoke with President-elect Trump yesterday.

On Friday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's office bypassed questions about Trump taking credit for the Lincoln production line staying in the city.

But Fischer "is glad to see Ford continuing its commitment to Louisville," spokesman Chris Poynter said.

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Ford operates two plants in Kentucky, both located in Louisville — the Kentucky Truck Plant and the Louisville Assembly Plant. It is unclear which plant Trump was referring to in his tweets, since both locations manufacture Lincoln automobile parts. The Courier-Journal previously reported that the Louisville Assembly Plant would be temporarily shut down for two weeks in October to keep production levels in line with demand.

At 10 p.m. Thursday, Kentucky governor Matt Bevin tweeted, "2 days ago, @RealDonaldTrump told me he was working w/ @Ford to keep smaller vehicle production in KY & USA. Tonight they delivered... TY!"

Ford has repeatedly denied that it was planning to close any U.S. plants that would result in workers losing their jobs. Since July 2015, the automotive maker has disputed Trump's comments about its investments.

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Reporter Danielle Lerner can be reached at dlerner@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4042. Phillip Bailey, Justin Sayers and the Detroit Free Press contributed to this story.