President Trump talks 1-on-1 about Midland flood, Biden and COVID-19 during Ford plant visit

YPSILANTI, Mich. (FOX 2) - Interviewing President Donald Trump during a pandemic means social distancing with an extendable boom mic.

On Thursday Roop Raj was at the Ford Rawsonville Truck Plant where Trump toured for a look at PPE manufacturing. 

"I wish you could be closer, I would shake your hand," Trump said, "Like the old days right?"

The old days President Trump is talking about, predates the coronavirus. Since the virus crippled the country, The Big Three including Ford Motor Company, has helped the US and the world recover.

While at the plant President Trump spoke exclusively 1-on-1 with FOX 2.

Trump: "I am very proud of what happened here because they are making ventilators here and done a really great job of it. We have 11 plants now throughout the country building ventilators. Our country is totally taken care of and we're helping the world. Because many countries in the world - you have 188 countries right now that are suffering with the virus. 

"We are helping a lot of countries with the ventilators. You can get a swab, a cotton swab, you can get a lot of things but you can't build a ventilator. They are building thousands of them right here in Detroit, in this plant. We are very happy about."

FOX 2: "Why should an undecided voter who is on the fence, vote for you? You said you revved up the auto industry and Obama and Joe Biden said they did that, back in the day. What do you tell an undecided voter who is on the fence?"

Trump: "During the Obama and the Biden era, the car companies and jobs were leaving this country like crazy. And with us, you go up to two months ago - we had to close it and we're going to have it back very soon - we brought a tremendous amount of car building back to Detroit and to other areas. What we have done in unprecedented, nobody has ever seen it. You know we lost 30 percent of our car making capacity to Mexico, Canada and other places. 

"We just signed the USMCA and all of that is coming back. We have plants being built for the production of cars all over the country. When I came here, plants were not being built. It was not a thing that people were even considering. And under Biden - Biden doesn't even know where he is. Under Biden we would lose it all and it would be a very sad thing for the country."

FOX 2: "It is a tougher fight with Biden now because of the virus, right?"

Trump: "I don't know. I am looking at numbers very good for me in terms of the poll. People know that we did it once and we'll do it again. I think we're going to have a tremendous fourth quarter - we are going to have a good transition into the fourth quarter, and next year is going to be one of our best years. We are going to have a great year next year."

FOX 2: "We have so much of the state that is shut down right now. Barbers, salon owners rallied yesterday and said we have to get back to this. When you take a look at businesses that are failing because of the virus and because of the shutdown, can we reverse this damage?" 

Trump: "I think not only can you reverse it, but you have to open up. Otherwise, you are going to lose some of those businesses. Florida is open, Georgia is open, many of these states are open right now and if you don't open it up you are going to lose a lot of your businesses, they are going to have to open it up. You are going to be put at a big disadvantage. A lot of the Democrat governors just don't want to do that and they think it is good politically. I think it is very bad politically. You take a look at the states that are opening, they are back and really doing well. There is a big, pent-up demand and I hope Michigan will be open very soon."

FOX 2: "You talked to Governor Gretchen Whitmer yesterday, how did that call go and also, talk about the people in Midland who are dealing with the flood."

Trump: "I did. I spoke to the governor, Governor Whitmer, and we had a very good conversation. I really called about the dams because you need help, your dams broke. We brought the Army Corps of Engineers in, they are here now. Nobody can do it like them, they can fix it. The Army Corps of Engineers is in and FEMA is in. So we had a very good conversation yesterday with your governor."

FOX 2: "What about Detroiters who really suffered at the hands of this virus, moving forward they may be concerned about a second wave, are you concerned about a second wave? And what would you tell Detroiters who have really suffered."

Trump: "I am concerned about everything. And you could have a second wave but it is going to be at a lower key and it is going to be embers and fires and we are going to put them out as it comes. We're not going to be shutting down. You could have some embers, you could have some fires, but we know how to put it out. And you know we have saved millions of lives by what we have done but it is a very difficult process. All over the world they've done it and they really had no choice. The places that didn't do it are not doing well, I can tell you. There are a couple places that didn't do it and without mentioning names they are not doing well.

"So we did the right things and saved millions of lives, now we are building up our economy and I think you are going to see tremendous numbers over the next number of months as we go along."

The president is optimistic that things will get better, setting a safer stage for the future.