WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to avoid blame for Harley-Davidson's decision to move some motorcycle production overseas and threatened to tax the manufacturer "like never before!" as punishment for the planned production shift.


Trump warned the iconic American brand that any shift in production "will be the beginning of the end."



"Harley-Davidson is using that as an excuse and I don't like that because I've been very good to Harley-Davidson and they used it as an excuse," he said in response. "And I think the people who ride Harleys aren't happy with Harley-Davidson and I wouldn't be either."


The company reiterated Tuesday that it was moving some production of motorcycles destined for sale in the EU to its existing international facilities to "address the additional tariffs imposed by the EU." It did not respond directly to Trump.




"That was long before Tariffs were announced," Trump said on Twitter. "Hence, they were just using Tariffs/Trade War as an excuse. Shows how unbalanced & unfair trade is, but we will fix it....."


Harley-Davidson executives met with Trump at the White House last year after Trump canceled a visit to the company's headquarters in Milwaukee because protests had been planned.




Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, whose Wisconsin district includes Harley's plant in Menomonee Falls, said the EU has a long history of abusive trade practices but urged Trump to address abuses without harming jobs in the U.S.

"It's unfortunate that such a strong Wisconsin company like Harley-Davidson has to bear the brunt of this trade dispute," Sensenbrenner said. "I understand that the President is a tough negotiator, but I urge him to consider a more targeted approach that protects American workers and businesses."