Fiat Chrysler smacks down Trump’s boasts: President-elect not involved in company’s job creation

President-elect Donald Trump took credit for Fiat and Chrysler's $1 billion expansion in Michigan and Ohio in a series of tweets on Monday morning; however, parent company FCA US clarified that Trump had nothing to do with it, ThinkProgress reports.

The company announced on Sunday, Jan. 8 that its expansion would also create 2,000 U.S jobs. "It's finally happening - Fiat Chrysler just announced plans to invest $1BILLION in Michigan and Ohio plants, adding 2000 jobs," Trump wrote in a tweet on Monday morning.

The president-elect also referenced Fiat and Chrysler's decision to expand while speaking with reporters at Trump Tower. "You just saw what happened with Fiat where they're going to build a massive plant in the United States in Michigan. And, we're very happy," he said.

Jodi Tinson, a spokeswoman for FCA told ThinkProgress, "This plan was in the works back in 2015. This announcement…was just final confirmation." Tinson also confirmed that neither politics nor the presidential election was at all related to the company's expansion.

The company's press release acknowledged that its latest announcement was the "second phase of an industrialization plan" that FCA US first announced last January.

It also announced in July, 2016 that it was investing $1 billion in plants in Illinois and Ohio that would result in the creation of 1,000 jobs. The company's press release confirmed that its latest announcement is "[c]onsistent and combined with previously announced investments," noting also that FCA US has invested over $9.6 billion in plants in various U.S. states, creating 25,000 jobs since 2009.

Trump's tweet also referred to Ford's announcement last week that it was expanding in Michigan.

According to ThinkProgress, Ford CEO Mark Fields also clarified that the company's announcement — that Ford would invest $700 million in a plant in Michigan rather than building a new factory in Mexico — had nothing to do with politics or the president-elect.

"We didn’t cut a deal with Trump," Fields said. "We did it for our business."