Toyota executives spent days brainstorming how they would respond to a tweet from President Trump

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

last updated 13 February 2017

President Trump's social media habits are forcing companies to come up with contingency plans. That's why when Trump went after Toyota Motor Co. on Twitter last month for planning to "build a new plant in Baja, Mexico," executives at the car manufacturer already had an inkling the tweet might be coming — and an idea of what they'd say in response, The Wall Street Journal reported:

Just days before the Trump tweet, Mr. Vazin had held a call with Toyota North America Chief Executive James Lentz and executive vice president Simon Nagata, to prepare for a possible tweet from Mr. Trump. "We figured our day was coming," Mr. Vazin said, noting the president had targeted companies with investments in Mexico.Once the tweet was sent, Mr. Vazin called Messrs. Lentz and Nagata to discuss the statement he would craft, as the company's stock began to inch downward. The auto maker posted its response on Twitter less than two hours later. [The Wall Street Journal]

In the statement, Toyota corrected Trump's claim, noting the plant will be located in Guanajuato, not Baja, and also pointed to its "$21.9 billion direct investment in the U.S." Trump apparently hasn't said anything to Toyota since.