Toyota CEO Goes Full MAGA At NASCAR Event Then Drops $912M On U.S. Jobs

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda was smiling for photos and giving two thumbs up as he donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a Trump-Vance shirt during an American-themed NASCAR event in Japan over the weekend.

“I’m not here to argue whether tariffs are good or bad. Every national leader wants to protect their own industry,” Toyoda said ahead of the exhibition. “We are exploring ways to make tariffs a winner for everyone. The people we want most to be winners are our customers.”

Japan now has a roughly 15% baseline tariff on auto imports, down from 27.5% following September trade negotiations.

The America-themed celebration at Fuji Speedway featured top NASCAR drivers, fans waving American flags, and an appearance from U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass. The ambassador posted photos of himself at the event alongside the caption, “Start your engines! … Looking forward to celebrating the culture of motorsports again next year, as part of our [America250] festivities in Japan.” 

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda showed up to a NASCAR event on Sunday repping MAGA gear.

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— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 18, 2025

The event came days before the carmaker announced on Tuesday a $912 million investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations, aimed at expanding hybrid production in Southern states.

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Per Motor Intelligence data, Toyota currently has more than 51% market share of hybrid vehicles through the third quarter of this year.

“Customers are embracing Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, and our U.S. manufacturing teams are gearing up to meet that growing demand,” Kevin Voelkel, Toyota Motor North America senior vice president of manufacturing operations, said. “Toyota’s philosophy is to build where we sell, and by adding more American jobs and investing across our U.S. footprint, we continue to stay true to that philosophy.”

Toyota announced last week it will invest as much as $10 billion into the United States over the next five years, confirming what President Donald Trump had said in October after meeting with the company’s CEO.