Ford Blamed More Than Trump for Lost Kentucky Factory Jobs

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A Ford Motor and South Korean company opened a massive electric vehicle battery factory on 1,500 acres of Kentucky farmland last year, bringing 1,600 jobs to Hardin County. But just four months later, Ford abruptly shut down production and laid off all the workers, leaving the community stunned and angry. While President Trump and Republicans in Congress gutted EV incentive programs, contributing to plunging sales, most locals place more blame on Ford itself for the factory's failure.

Why it matters

The closure of the high-profile EV battery plant is a blow to the local economy and a setback for the Biden administration's push for electric vehicle adoption. It also highlights the political dynamics in a Republican-leaning county where residents are more willing to criticize a major corporation than the GOP policies that contributed to the plant's downfall.

The details

Ford and its South Korean partner opened the 1,500-acre EV battery factory in Hardin County, Kentucky in 2025, touting it as a major economic boost for the region. But just four months after the first batteries rolled off the line, Ford abruptly shut down production and laid off all 1,600 workers, citing plunging EV sales. While the Trump administration and Republican Congress had gutted federal EV incentive programs, contributing to the sales decline, most locals placed more blame on Ford itself, saying the company's foray into EVs was a disaster of its own making.

• The EV battery factory opened in 2025.
• Production was shut down and all 1,600 workers were laid off in December 2025, just four months after opening.