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Obama touts auto industry turnaround

by Elliot Smilowitz - 01/09/16 6:00 AM ET

President Obama on Saturday took a victory lap for the successes of the American auto industry, saying the turnaround shows that “America can do anything.”

“Seven years ago, auto sales hit a 27-year low,” the president said in his weekly address. “Last year, they hit an all-time high.”

{mosads}Obama will visit the Detroit Auto Show later this month to further celebrate the industry’s turnaround.

The president said that Detroit was “on the brink of collapse” as he took office in 2009, creating a crisis in the nation.

“Some said it was too late to turn things around,” he said. “But I refused to turn my back on so many of the workers that I’d met. Instead, I placed my bet on American workers.”

Obama bragged that his plan worked despite heavy opposition.

“Critics said it was a ‘road to socialism,’ or a ‘disaster’ waiting to happen,” he said. “But I’d make that bet again any day of the week.”

Obama said the auto industry’s success inspires him as he prepares to set his agenda for 2016 in Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

“On Tuesday, I’m going to talk about the choices we have to make to set this country firmly on an even better, brighter course for decades to come.”

Tags Barack Obama