Audi CEO Gernot Döllner faces union backlash over Trump rally appearance

Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner has sparked an intense political and industrial backlash across Germany after sharing a stage with US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Georgia to announce a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing investment. The appearance, which took place on Saturday, 24 October, has drawn fierce condemnation from trade union leaders, employee representatives, and political figures who accused the executive of compromising corporate neutrality and aligning with a divisive political spectacle just days before high-stakes congressional elections.

The controversy unfolded at an event in Perry, near Macon, where Trump used the gathering to announce Audi's proposed investment of $4 billion to construct its first United States assembly plant. According to reporting from Reuters, the facility is projected to produce roughly 200,000 sport utility vehicles each year. Döllner took the stage following Trump's address, thanking the US president for his support and defending the project as a necessary long-term commitment to a crucial overseas market.

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That rationale failed to appease domestic stakeholders. Labour leaders launched immediate attacks on the executive's decision to participate in the rally, pointing out that Audi's code of conduct explicitly mandates political neutrality in the three months preceding an election. Christiane Benner, president of IG Metall and deputy chair of Volkswagen’s supervisory board, issued a statement on Monday condemning the appearance.

"deeply embarrassing, politically unacceptable and unworthy of the company"

Christiane Benner, IG Metall president and Volkswagen supervisory board deputy chair, via National Herald India

Benner argued that Döllner had placed himself in flagrant breach of internal company rules prohibiting public engagements with political figures standing for election. Similar outrage came from Daniela Cavallo, head of the Volkswagen works council, who lambasted the event in internal communications shared with dpa. Cavallo criticized the rhetoric featured at the rally and argued that leadership had permitted themselves to become props in a political campaign.

"Several minutes full of racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, denigration of democracy - and then one of our top group representatives steps on stage and engages in active campaign support"

Daniela Cavallo, Volkswagen works council chief, via Yahoo Finance

Cavallo added that anyone witnessing Döllner's participation would want to sink into the ground with shame. She further targeted Volkswagen Group chief executive Oliver Blume, accusing management of allowing the automaker to be turned into a puppet for political propaganda.

Political figures in Germany joined the chorus of disapproval. Isabel Cademartori, transport spokesperson for the Social Democrats within the ruling coalition, called the move a disgrace, particularly when viewed against the historical backdrop of the Volkswagen Group. Lower Saxony premier Olaf Lies, representing the state holding Volkswagen's second-largest stake, stated that a campaign rally was entirely inappropriate for announcing an investment of that magnitude and noted that the spectacle had caused deep consternation among anxious employees.

Döllner defended his appearance by asserting that accepting an invitation from the US president was a basic matter of respect for the office and the host nation. He maintained that strengthening Audi's global footprint would ultimately protect domestic manufacturing operations. Industry analysts noted that establishing a domestic manufacturing base would help insulate the luxury carmaker from heavy import duties that cost the firm roughly €1.2 billion during the previous year.

The timing of the announcement has intensified local anxieties. Volkswagen is currently executing a sweeping restructuring programme involving substantial capacity reductions and potential job cuts. German production sites, including the Neckarsulm facility, face severe pressure to lower operational costs amid softening demand in China, expensive electric vehicle transitions, and ongoing trade tariffs.

The proposed expansion remains contingent on formal authorization. Final implementation requires approval from Volkswagen's supervisory board, where labour representatives hold substantial voting power and have insisted on binding commitments regarding domestic job security before greenlighting the transatlantic venture. Further developments are expected as supervisory board committees evaluate the terms of the investment and labour representatives press management for clarity on domestic safeguards.