Hyundai gets cold shoulder from Trump despite charm offensive

The Korean carmaker is betting big on the U.S., even as new trade and immigration policies pose hurdles

- Timothy W. Martin & Jiyoung Sohn

Hyundai pledged $21 billion in U.S. investments that would manifest before Trump's second term ended.

(AP)

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung hoped the automaker could appease the Trump administration with a series of aggressive moves to deepen its ties to the U.S.

So far that looks like a painful miscalculation.

The immigration raid last month at Hyundai’s Georgia production complex, which resulted in more than 300 white-collar Korean workers in handcuffs and shackles, was the culmination of a year in which the world’s third-biggest carmaker repeatedly tried to assuage President Trump—but has little to show for it.

Hyundai instead has become one ofthe most high-profile corporate examples of the pitfalls of tryingto anticipate exactly how the administration will implement its often-chaoticeconomicand immigration policies.

For Chung, the struggle to get in Washington's good graces is personally vexing as Korea tries to finalize a trade deal that would ease the pain of U.S. tariffs.

In recent years, Chung pushed the Korean carmaker founded by his grandfather to make deeper inroads with American consumers. Hyundai and its sister brand Kia—which had once staked their reputation on decadelong warranties and budget prices—racked up design, technology and quality awards. More than halfof the firm’s operating profits today come from the U.S.

To continue that momentum, Chung followed the corporate playbook for winning over Donald Trump after his election to a second term in November 2024.

Hyundai donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. Weeks later, Hyundai hosted Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter at Torrey Pines for the pro-am event of a PGA tournament named after the automaker's luxury sedan.