JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday called it “ironic” that an electric vehicle battery company his administration helped bring to Illinois to build a $2 billion plant donated $1 million earlier this year to the inaugural committee supporting President Donald Trump, an ardent foe of the governor’s who has criticized the business for its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
But the governor stopped short of criticizing Gotion, Inc., which has announced it would open a facility in Manteno, a town about 40 miles south of Chicago. Instead he took aim at Trump’s supporters, many of whom have called on Gotion to not set up shop in the town of about 9,000 people.
“We don’t make political decisions for companies in Illinois or anywhere else. They make those decisions on their own,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Jacksonville, west of Springfield. “I think it’s ironic, perhaps there are other words to use, that there were people who criticized us bringing 2,600 jobs and billions of dollars of investment to the state of Illinois by this company and yet those same people are supporters of the president who has accepted a $1 million contribution from them.”
“Look, all I can say is I’m very proud of the economic development efforts that we’ve made for the state,” the governor said. “Thousands and thousands of jobs literally have been brought to the state because of our economic development efforts.”
The Jan. 8 contribution of $1 million by Gotion Inc., to Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s inaugural committee was a fraction of the roughly $240 million the committee has received. But the contribution and the Trump committee’s willingness to accept it comes despite the president and other Republicans being critical of the lithium battery plant because they argue it has links to the Chinese Communist Party — a criticism that Pritzker has dismissed.
A White House spokesperson referred inquires about the donation to Trump’s inaugural committee. No committee representatives could be reached for comment.
A representative for Gotion could not be reached for comment.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, a Peoria-area Republican who supports Trump and has been a vocal critic of Gotion, declined Tuesday to say whether Trump’s committee should have accepted the contribution. Instead, LaHood said in a statement that “for far too long, the Chinese Communist Party has exploited the American taxpayer.”
“Our foreign adversaries are actively undermining the United States’ domestic supply chains and our national security through loopholes from the Inflation Reduction Act,” LaHood said, citing an economic policy championed by Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden. “President Trump and his administration have taken bold actions to deter the CCP from taking advantage of hardworking Americans. I will continue to emphasize that under no circumstances should CCP-affiliated companies, including Gotion, receive a single taxpayer dollar.”
The Republicans have cited the corporate bylaws of Gotion’s parent firm requiring Gotion to “carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution” of the Chinese Communist Party. Such language is standard for Chinese corporations under the laws of their country.
Gotion Inc. is a Fremont, California-based subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech of China, which is about 30% owned by Germany’s Volkswagen.
Pritzker has been an enthusiastic backer of the Gotion plant, which is in line for $536 million in state incentives. In 2023, Gotion got approval from the village of Manteno to build an electric vehicle battery plant. The plant offered the prospect of 2,600 new jobs and fit into Pritzker’s goal of making Illinois a hub for EV manufacturing.
Manteno, Kankakee County and several other taxing bodies agreed to cap Gotion’s real estate taxes at $2 million annually for 30 years as part of the deal that landed the plant. The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced Kankakee County was awarded $2.9 million to rebuild and modernize a local road to help connect to the new Gotion factory.
The story about Gotion’s contribution to Trump’s inaugural committee was first reported by the Detroit News on Monday. The Gotion controversy in Manteno echoes one that follows its announced plans for a $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery plant north of Grand Rapids in Michigan, a project that, according to news reports, has been stalled amid public outcry.
The Manteno plant, which remains under development, has divided the town. Many area residents spoke out against the project in the last year and a half because of the company’s China connection and other issues. Earlier this month, the town elected a new mayor, who was part of the opposition to Gotion.
But supporters of the Manteno project, slated for a roughly 150-acre, abandoned Kmart warehouse distribution site near Interstate 57, have dismissed such fears about Chinese influence by noting long-standing Chinese investments in the U.S. They point to the prospect of thousands of jobs paying an average of $55,000 a year and the project’s potential to spur local economic development.
The Pritzker administration has said Gotion has been working in the United States for the last decade, starting with a Silicon Valley research and development center in 2014 under President Barack Obama and opening a Cleveland-area facility in 2018 during Trump’s first term.
As for other issues with the plant, Manteno officials have attempted to allay concerns about its environmental impact and the potential for fires by saying they plan to upgrade hazardous materials training for the town’s firefighters, and make changes to their various safety policies if necessary.
