Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. (Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer/TNS)
January 23, 2026 9:12 AM, EST
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Ford Motor Co.’s chief government affairs officer is leaving the automaker as the industry confronts rapid shifts in key policies by the Trump administration.
Christopher Smith, who has led Ford’s global efforts on legislation, regulation and government policies worldwide since 2022, is expected to depart the automaker, according to people familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified revealing internal matters. The reason for his departure is unclear, though one of the people said it’s expected within weeks.
Last year, Smith led negotiations between the company and the Trump administration to preserve important tax credits for a battery plant in Michigan that were ultimately maintained.
Ford declined to comment. Smith didn’t immediately reply to message seeking comment. Ford’s global policy operations will continue to be led by Steve Croley, the company’s chief policy officer and general counsel.
Smith’s departure comes as Ford and other automakers are grappling with a number of policy changes set in motion by the Trump administration, including tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and the elimination of electric car subsidies.
Ford has said tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump will add billions of dollars to its costs. The carmaker has come into the spotlight in Washington more recently, after Trump was heckled by factory worker as the president toured a Ford factory in Dearborn, Mich. and amid a dispute between Ford CEO Jim Farley and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Last summer, during negotiations over Trump’s signature tax bill, Executive Chair Bill Ford warned the company’s plans to build a battery plant in Marshall, Mich., were “imperiled” by a push by Congress to eliminate federal incentives for clean energy.
Smith said on his LinkedIn profile that he led Ford’s lobbying effort to preserve those manufacturing credits. The automaker plans to open the battery factory later this year, employing 1,700 workers and supplying power cells for a line of affordable electric vehicles it has coming in 2027.
The Marshall battery plant, which utilizes technology licensed from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd, survived Ford’s EV pullback last month that included $19.5 billion in charges on its under-performing EV assets.
An Army veteran and West Point graduate, Smith joined Ford from natural gas company Cheniere Energy. He was previously assistant secretary for fossil energy in the Department of Energy during President Barack Obama’s administration.
