During his late-October 2025 visit to Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Toyota would invest “over $10 billion” to build new auto plants “all over the United States.” He said the figure came from Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, but in other instances suggested it was provided by a Toyota executive.
The statement sparked a wave of reactions online, with many social media users accusing Trump of lying about the alleged investment, citing reports that Toyota denied making such a promise. For instance, one X post (archived) on the topic read, “Toyota claims Trump is lying and says it never explicitly promised a new $10 billion investment in the US, despite Trump’s claim during his Japan visit – Reuters.”
(X user @Megatron_ron)
Another X post stated, “Toyota HUMILIATED Trump on his Asia trip. When Trump bragged he got Toyota to invest $10B in new funding to America, Toyota executive Ueda quickly SHUT HIM DOWN, saying that number is actually ZERO,” while another post claimed “Trump lied again and Toyota called him out! 👍 How many other so called deals and investments has he lied about?”
Similar claims spread on other social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. Readers searched our website to verify the rumor.
In short, according to reports from multiple news outlets including Reuters, The Guardian and The Hill, Toyota contradicted Trump’s statement about a $10 billion investment, but did not describe the figure as “zero.” Rather, Toyota executive Hiroyuki Ueda clarified that the company didn’t made a new pledge to invest $10 billion in the United States. He emphasized that Toyota continues to invest in its American operations and that the $10 billion figure likely referred to past investments.
We have reached out to the White House for clarification on whether Japanese officials communicated a $10 billion investment figure to Trump, what briefing or information his remarks were based on and whether the administration has since received any clarification from Toyota or the Japanese government. An automated reply from the White House press office noted that responses may be delayed “due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown.” We will update this article if we receive a response.
We have also contacted Toyota for comment, asking whether the company made any new investment commitments to the U.S. government, discussed the $10 billion figure with American or Japanese officials, or issued any clarifications to either government since President Trump’s remarks. We will update this article if the company responds.
Trump’s statements and Toyota’s response
Trump repeated the alleged $10 billion figure on several occasions during his Asia trip, attributing it alternately to the Japanese prime minister or to a Toyota executive.
For instance, while addressing American troops aboard the USS George Washington near Tokyo on Oct. 28, 2025, Trump said: “I was just told by the Prime Minister that Toyota is going to be putting auto plants all over the United States — to the tune of over $10 billion.”
“So go out and buy a Toyota,” Trump continued.
Trump reiterated the claim later the same day during a press briefing aboard Air Force One, saying:
Last night I was was with a lot of the greatest leaders in Japan, the biggest business people. Mr. Toyoda was there, from Toyota, and he’s agreed to invest $10 billion in building auto plants. They’re going to build numerous auto plants throughout the United States with American workers, as you know […]. It’ll be one of the biggest investments ever in the auto business. ”
He repeated the claim again on Oct. 29, 2025, during the APEC CEO Summit in South Korea, asserting that Toyota planned to build car plants in “about six or seven different states.”
According to a Reuters article (archived) published Oct. 29, 2025, however, “Toyota says it did not explicitly promise Trump new $10 billion investment in US.”
“During the first Trump administration, I think the figure was roughly around $10 billion, so while we didn’t say the same scale, we did explain that we’ll keep investing and providing employment as before. So, probably because of that context, the figure of about $10 billion came up,” Ueda said on the sidelines of the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, as Reuters reported. “Therefore, we didn’t specifically say that we’ll invest $10 billion over the next few years,” he continued, adding that “the topic of investment did not come up when Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda briefly spoke to Trump at a U.S. Embassy event.”
In a statement to The Hill, Toyota “stressed its commitment to investing in America but did not specify a number pledged during recent talks with the administration.”
“Toyota remains committed to continued investment in its U.S. operations, reflecting our principle to build where we sell and buy where we build,” the statement provided to The Hill read, “With nearly $50 billion already invested and 49,000 direct employees across the United States, this ongoing commitment strengthens our support for American manufacturing, supply chains, jobs, and customers. More details will follow soon.”
The New York Times likewise reported that Ueda told officials ahead of Trump’s visit that Toyota’s current investment plans were “roughly equal” to those made under both the Trump and Biden administrations, which may have led to confusion about the $10 billion figure.
All in all, based on multiple news media reports, Toyota contradicted Trump’s claim by clarifying that there was no new $10 billion U.S. investment pledge, though the company continues to make significant investments in its American operations. The $10 billion number appears to have been taken out of context — likely a reference to previous spending — and presented by Trump as a new commitment.
We will update this article if we receive responses from the White House or Toyota.
