President Donald J. Trump visits GM’s flagship test site in Michigan

President Donald J. Trump made history on July 27, 2026, as the first sitting U.S. President to visit General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground, the company’s flagship vehicle testing facility in southeastern Michigan. The President selected GM as the location for an event to highlight American automotive innovation, engineering, and manufacturing. We were honored to spend time showcasing our vehicles and facilities to the President. He and his invited guests then delivered remarks onstage at the Vehicle Development Garage to an audience of GM employees, suppliers, local officials, and community members. (Remarks can be viewed here.)

Milford operates like a small city of innovation, spanning more than 4,000 acres with nearly 150 miles of test roads, including the 67-acre Black Lake test pad, a vast expanse of black asphalt where generations of GM vehicles have been developed and validated. Engineers at Milford have helped bring to market innovations from airbags and anti-lock brakes to Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology¹.

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.”

Thrilling runs at Black Lake

Barra and GM President Mark Reuss welcomed President Trump at Black Lake with energizing music playing over the loudspeaker. They joined a group of GM executives and distinguished guests of the President to watch head-to-head drag races between some of GM’s most iconic 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. 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.

Showcasing GM’s latest products

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 this ultra-luxury vehicle. He 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.

Over a century of military support

The President inspected GM Defense products like the Heavy-Duty Tactical Truck (Hybrid) and the Infantry Squad Vehicle, a light and agile truck that is increasingly popular with U.S. and allied soldiers all over the world. 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.

Driving the American economy

The President delivered remarks highlighting 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.