President Donald Trump may have backed a boycott of Harley-Davidson over the motorcycle-maker’s decision to move some production overseas, but the Secret Service isn’t joining in the fun.
As first reported by Roll Call, the Secret Service earlier this week published a notice soliciting quotes from motorcycle dealers for a Harley “with police equipment accessories.”
The kerfuffle between Trump and Harley stems from the president’s tariffs on European steel and aluminum, which sparked retaliatory tariffs on a targeted set of goods—including Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In response, the company said it would move production overseas for Hogs destined for the European market, in order to “maintain a viable business” there. The boycott of Harley’s bikes in the U.S. would therefore only affect Hogs made in the U.S.
As with so many other corporate decisions in these hyper-polarized times, Harley’s move and Trump’s consequent anger provoked a reaction that was divided between those who saw the company’s decision as unpatriotic, and those who weren’t so keen on the president dictating where a company should and shouldn’t make their goods.
Trump certainly hasn’t stopped there. He wants Apple to make iPhones in the U.S. rather than China, and the same goes for Ford and its Focus Active—even though Ford has explained that the move would make no financial sense.
The Secret Service, which protects politicians such as Trump, told CNN that it was its technicians are already trained to service Harleys, and its sidecars are designed to fit the make. Buying another brand of bike would therefore be much more expensive, it said.
