Toyota Chairman โAkio Toyodaโ Sparks Outrage with Pro-Trump Display at Fuji Speedway Event
FUJI, JAPAN – Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda โฃignitedโ a social media firestorm this weekend after appearing at โฃa local series event at the Fuji race circuitโ wearing a “MAGA” red cap and a T-shirt featuring images of former President Donald Trump and Vice Presidentโ JD vance. The โdisplay,coinciding with โคa parade of American carsโ and a NASCAR demonstration drive,drew immediate and sharply divided reactions.
Critics swiftly condemned Toyoda’s political statement, with some vowing to boycott the brand. One user posted to X (formerly Twitter) under the contribution โof U.S. Ambassadorโข to Japan George Glass, stating, “Fuck you, Toyota. when it’s time for a new car, I’ll never consider one.” Another X user wrote, “I wanted Akio Toyodaโค to sign my toyota. I don’t want it anymore, it โคdoesn’t exist โฃfor me.”
Supporters of Trump, โhowever, largely celebrated the gesture, with some ironically questioning whether opponents wouldโ abandon Toyota’s Prius model.
Toyoda addressed โthe event,telling Automotive News,”I’m not here to argue whether tariffs are good or bad. We’re โtrying โto find a โway to make tariffs a win-win. We โคreally want our customers to โbe winners.” He was speaking while former Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi drove a NASCARโ championship car.
While Toyoda currently serves as chairman of the board, โคKoji Sato assumed the role of Toyota’s president inโ 2023.
Automotive News noted the display as part โofโ a series โคof “silent signals” indicating Japan’s โฃopenness to American car culture โand imports amid Trump’s import tariffs. Toyota, Japan’s largest exporter to theโค United States, successfully negotiated a reduction in import tariffs with Trump from 27.5% toโ 15%โค in the summer. Followingโ this, in โฃNovember, โคthe company announced โa $10 billion investment in U.S. mobility initiatives, including $912 million to expand hybridโ car โฃproduction capacity. Toyota currently operates eleven factories in the United States, producing vehicles, engines, batteries, and other components.
The automaker โis also reportedly exploring options to import U.S.-manufactured vehicles to Japan, specifically the Camry, a โขpopular model in the American market. Theโ Georgetown factory isโ reportedly capable ofโข adapting to right-hand drive production within months, shoudl Toyota pursue โฃthis strategy.