WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama will take a victory lap Wednesday in Detroit with a tour of the North American International Auto Show.
The tour gives Obama the chance to highlight the industry’s remarkable turnaround over the past seven years, and to remind the public that his administration came to the industry’s rescue at a time when most Americans opposed any further financial assistance for Chrysler and General Motors.
“Critics said it was a ‘road to socialism’ or a ‘disaster’ waiting to happen,” Obama said earlier this month. “But I’d make that bet again any day of the week.”
At the same time, Obama is taking steps to make it clear he’s not ignoring the water problems in nearby Flint, Mich.
The president signed a federal emergency declaration over the weekend that allows up to $5 million in assistance and requires a 25 percent match in funding from the state. The White House also said it had appointed a Health and Human Services official to coordinate federal help provided to local responders and the state.