On Monday, President Donald J. Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to visit General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground, the company’s flagship vehicle testing facility located in Milford Township.
Trump selected GM as the location for an event to highlight American automotive innovation, engineering, and manufacturing. The Milford Proving Ground spans 4,000-plus acres, has nearly 150 miles of two-lane roads, and more than 150 R&D, testing, and administrative facilities.
Following a tour or the campus, the President and his invited guests delivered remarks onstage at the Vehicle Development Garage to an audience of GM employees, suppliers, local officials, and community members.
In her welcome to the audience at Milford, GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said, “On these tracks and in our labs, we test everything we build in the U.S., from the trucks that move America to the technology that will take us back to the moon. GM will spend more than $16 billion in the U.S. this year on manufacturing and R&D. It reflects our strong commitment to the U.S.”
Barra and GM President Mark Reuss welcomed President Trump at the Black Lake Test Pad (67 acres), and were joined a group of GM executives and guests to watch head-to-head drag races between some of GM’s performance vehicles, including a 1,250-horsepower Corvette ZR1X and a GMC HUMMER EV pickup delivering 13,000 lb.-ft. of wheel torque.
The atmosphere combined the precision of a world-class engineering demonstration with race-day energy, according to GM. Sitting between Barra and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the President watched the action and discussed the vehicles, occasionally waving to drivers and offering a fist pump at the conclusion.
Following the drag races, the President got a close-up look at some of GM’s latest vehicles, including the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac Escalade IQ, and GMC HUMMER EV SUV.
The President got into the rear seat of an Emerald Lake-colored Cadillac CELESTIQ to experience the interior of the ultra-luxury vehicle. He also signed the 2026 Stars & Steel Collection Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, adding a presidential touch to the special edition sports car designed to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States.
The President also stopped at a mint-condition 1957 Cadillac Eldorado and later told the story about how his father, Fred Trump, loved Cadillacs and purchased a new one every few years.
In addition, Trump inspected GM Defense products like the Heavy-Duty Tactical Truck (Hybrid) and the Infantry Squad Vehicle, a light and agile truck that is used by U.S. and allied soldiers.
GM has been a key supplier to the U.S. government and military for more than a century. Most of the parts in these vehicles are commercial off-the-shelf technology developed for GM’s retail and commercial products.
During his remarks, Trump highlighted the importance of continued investment in the U.S. and acknowledging the contributions of Michigan’s auto workforce. He also addressed the direction of the country and American competitiveness, among many other topics, during his more than one-hour-long speech.
The Milford Proving Ground is part of GM’s broader footprint, which stretches from manufacturing plants to design studios, suppliers, and dealerships across the country. GM employs the most people of any automaker in the U.S. and contributed nearly $50 billion to U.S. GDP in 2025.
More information on GM’s investment in America can be found here.
