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. Often described as a “small city of innovation,” Milford spans more than 4,000 acres, features nearly 150 miles of test roads, and includes the 67-acre Black Lake test pad, where generations of GM vehicles have been developed and validated. The President selected GM as the stage for an event that brought together thousands of people to hear more from him on the economy, and his promise to bring manufacturing back to America and rebuild the auto industry. (alt: on “the automotive renaissance onshoring production, restoring factory jobs, and making vehicles in Michigan again.”

“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,” said Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, General Motors. “We welcomed the President as an important opportunity to highlight our teams’ engineering excellence and how GM's U.S. manufacturing investments support American jobs and strengthen local communities.”

Thrilling runs at Black Lake

The President arrived at Milford Proving Ground’s Black Lake test surface to watch head-to-head runs between some of GM’s most iconic performance cars and EVs, including a 1,250-horsepower Corvette ZR1X and a GMC HUMMER EV pickup delivering 13,000 lb.-ft. of wheel torque. He observed as vehicles staged, lights dropped, and tires gripped the asphalt, occasionally signaling a thumbs-up to drivers and acknowledging guests and staff gathered along the barrier. The atmosphere combined the precision of a tightly choreographed engineering demonstration with race day energy, as camera shutters picked up each launch and GM experts narrated how advanced propulsion, chassis tuning, and software-defined controls translate into real-world performance.

Showcasing GM’s latest products

After the drag races, the President spent time with GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra and GM President Mark Reuss viewing some of GM’s latest products, including the Cadillac CELESTIQ, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac Escalade IQ and GMC HUMMER EV SUV. He also signed the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Stars and Steel Edition, adding a presidential touchpoint to a car designed to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States.

Defense capabilities and a personal Cadillac connection

Beyond the Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac displays, the President was briefed on several GM Defense products, including the Infantry Squad Vehicle and the Heavy Duty Tactical Truck. These vehicles illustrate how GM’s engineering depth and manufacturing scale translate into advanced mobility and energy solutions for those who serve, drawing on many of the same architectures and technologies that underpin GM’s retail and commercial vehicles. They reflect GM’s century-long commitment to supporting national security, mobility, and readiness for soldiers in the field.

The visit also included a personal moment of nostalgia when the President sat in a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado similar to one his father owned. The President’s father, Fred Trump, loved Cadillacs and purchased a new one every few years. The Eldorado on display provided a tangible connection between the President’s own family history and GM’s mid-century design leadership.

President Trump addresses an audience of thousands

As part of the visit, President Trump delivered formal remarks to an audience of several thousand GM employees, suppliers, local officials and community members gathered at Milford. Speaking in a large garage at Milford, he underscored the role of American manufacturing, engineering and innovation in supporting jobs and economic growth. The President highlighted the importance of continued investment in U.S. facilities and workers, acknowledged the contributions of Michigan’s auto workforce and noted how advanced technologies being developed and tested at Milford — from performance vehicles to EVs and defense platforms — are helping to shape America’s future. The address, punctuated by applause from employees and guests, framed the visit as part of a broader national conversation about competitiveness, technology and the strength of the country’s industrial base.

GM’s American footprint

The activities at Milford underscore how the proving ground is tightly linked to GM’s broader American 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. One in 10 American autoworkers is a GM employee. We contributed nearly $50 billion to U.S. GDP in 2025, and in 2026 our investment in American manufacturing and facilities and in U.S. research and development is over $16 billion.

More information on GM’s investment in America here.

Milford: shaping America’s future

Milford Proving Ground is one of the oldest dedicated vehicle testing sites in the world, opened in 1924. It covers more than 4,000 acres and features nearly 150 miles of roads, from steep grades and dirt sections to the 2.9-mile road course and specialized surfaces at Black Lake. Over the past century, engineers at Milford have helped bring to market innovations ranging from early crash and rollover tests, airbags and anti-lock brakes to the development and validation of Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance and a broad portfolio of EVs.

More information on GM’s Milford Proving Ground can be found here.