Washington, Oct 26 (EFE).- Ford Motor Co. denied Monday that it decided to shift production from Mexico to the United States as a result of criticism from real estate magnate and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

“Ford has not spoken with Mr. Trump, nor have we made any changes to our plans,” a company spokesperson said. “We decided to move the F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks to Ohio Assembly in 2011, long before any candidates announced their intention to run for U.S. president.”

Ford’s assertion came in response to messages Trump posted on Twitter proclaiming that he was responsible for the automaker’s decision to manufacture its trucks in the United States instead of Mexico.

“Word is that Ford Motor, because of my constant badgering at packed events, is going to cancel their deal to go to Mexico and stay in U.S.,” the billionaire tweeted.

Since he announced his candidacy in June for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, the real estate magnate has not stopped questioning U.S. trade relations with countries like Mexico, China and Japan, and has pushed protectionist policies as a way to save national industries. EFE