President Donald Trump announced Friday that his economic adviser, Peter Navarro, would serve as the coordinator of the Defense Production Act.

“We’ll work in partnership with the private sector, but where emergency exists – and it’s very important we get to the bottom line and quickly. We’ll do what we have to do,” Trump said

The president announced the news after issuing an order to General Motors to mobilize their resources to manufacture ventilators to help the fight the coronavirus.

Navarro praised Trump’s order for sending a strong message to the private sector that he meant business.

“We’re engaged in the most central mobilization since World War II,” Navarro said. “We have a wartime president fighting an invisible enemy.”

Navarro said that ventilators were essential for patients infected with the virus,

“All around this country, as this virus bears down, the ventilators are the most important thing for patients who become seriously ill. They are literally the lifeline for people,” he said.

Navarro said that nearly all of the private companies responded to requests from the federal government with patriotic speed, but he said the administration had run into “roadblocks” with General Motors.

“Hopefully, General Motors will join in the fray,” Trump said.