President Donald Trump's comments, which were made at a groundbreaking in Wisconsin for a Foxconn plant, come after the motorcycle company announced it would move some of its manufacturing to Thailand. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump to Harley Davidson: ‘Don’t get cute with us’

President Donald Trump on Thursday had a message for Harley-Davidson: “Don’t get cute with us.”

The president’s comments, which were made at a groundbreaking in Wisconsin for a Foxconn plant, were the latest attacks he‘s made on the motorcycle company after it announced it would move some of its manufacturing to Thailand to avoid expensive tariffs on bikes sold in the European Union.


The EU tariffs were in direct response to moves by Trump to hike steel and aluminum tariffs on European countries and others.

“Harley Davidson, please build those beautiful motorcycles in the USA, please, OK? Don’t get cute with us,” he said. “Don’t get cute. They don’t realize their taxes are coming way down, they don't realize that yet.

“Build them in the USA, your customers won’t be happy if you don‘t,” he said.

Trump previously had much warmer words for the Wisconsin-based company, calling Harley-Davidson “a true American icon” in February when he hosted executives and union employees at the White House, despite the company already having factories in Australia, India and Brazil.

But after the company announced it would shift production, Trump has repeatedly hammered it, going as far to say it could be the “beginning of the end” for Harley-Davidson.