Toyota, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors were all summoned by a senior Trump adviser to a White House meeting last month where he pressed them to stand by the president’s own initiative, according to four people familiar with the talks.
But even as the White House was meeting with automakers, it was losing ground. Yet another company, Mercedes-Benz, is preparing to join the four automakers already in the California agreement — Honda, Ford, Volkswagen and BMW — according to two people familiar with the German company’s plans.
Mr. Trump, described by three people as enraged by California’s deal, has demanded that his staff members step up the pace to complete his plan. His proposal, however, is directly at odds with the wishes of many automakers.
There's legitimate reasons for antitrust enforcement. Being mad that AT&T wouldn't get rid of a news channel (CNN) that you have a personal grudge against or that tech companies aren't doing more to praise and help you, or demanding that automobile companies pollute more and not follow California regulation are not legitimate. It's extortionist.