Picture this: you’re at a racetrack in Japan, watching NASCAR cars tear around Fuji Speedway, and the chairman of Toyota walks out wearing a bright red “Make America Great Again” hat and a Trump-Vance campaign shirt. That’s exactly what happened on November 16, 2025, when Akio Toyoda threw what might be the most politically charged motorsports event Japan has ever seen.
- Toyoda hosted six NASCAR race cars at Fuji Speedway with drivers including Jimmie Johnson, while wearing a MAGA hat and Trump-Vance 2024 shirt throughout the event.
- U.S. Ambassador George Glass attended, riding alongside Toyoda in a Ford F-150 as they led the NASCAR pack around the track.
- Toyota is working to reduce the current 15% tariff on Japanese auto imports while pledging $10 billion in U.S. investments through 2030.
What Actually Went Down at Fuji Speedway
Toyoda didn’t hold back on the American theme. He shipped six actual NASCAR vehicles from the United States specifically for this event, then handed them over to some of the biggest names in stock car racing. Jimmie Johnson, John Hunter Nemechek, and Kamui Kobayashi did demonstration laps while the crowd waved American flags. Food stands served chili cheese fries and California grill BBQ burgers.
The most surprising part? Toyoda drove around in a Ford F-150 instead of showcasing one of Toyota’s own Tundra trucks. When you’re the chairman of one of the world’s biggest automakers and you choose a competitor’s truck at your own track, you’re making a statement.
The Tariff Game Behind the Racing Show
Here’s the thing about this event. Sure, it celebrated car culture and brought NASCAR to Japan, but there’s obviously more going on. Trump originally slapped Japanese auto imports with a 27.5% duty that’s since come down to 15%. Toyota wants that number even lower, and they’re willing to get creative about it.
Toyoda told reporters he’s not there to argue whether tariffs are good or bad. “Every national leader wants to protect their own auto industry,” he said. “We are exploring ways to make tariffs a winner for everyone. The people we want most to be winners are our customers.”
Days after the MAGA appearance, Toyota announced a $912 million investment in five U.S. manufacturing plants. The money will ramp up hybrid production in West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri. This is part of that bigger $10 billion commitment Toyota made through 2030. The timing is interesting.
Reactions Range from Baffled to Strategic
Not everyone inside Toyota was thrilled about their chairman’s wardrobe choice. One senior company executive told reporters they were “baffled” by the decision, especially given how politically divisive MAGA merchandise has become. Another source worried about Toyota getting tangled up in American political fights the way Tesla has with Elon Musk’s deep involvement in the Trump administration.
Toyoda is now the second automotive CEO after Musk to publicly wear MAGA gear while doing business with this administration. Some observers think Toyoda genuinely supports Trump’s message. Others see it as pure business calculation dressed up in a red hat.
The numbers tell part of this story. Only 16,707 American-made cars sold in Japan during 2024, while Japanese brands grabbed 37.4% of the U.S. market. Toyota alone holds a 15.3% share in America. Those figures explain why Toyoda might be willing to wear a campaign shirt if he thinks it’ll help protect access to the U.S. market.
Will This Actually Work?
Whether showing up in full MAGA attire will move the needle on trade policy is anyone’s guess. Trump’s attention tends to bounce around quickly, and there’s no shortage of other issues competing for his focus. But Toyota has been playing this game for decades, dating back to the Voluntary Restraint Agreement that limited Japanese auto exports from 1981 through 1994.
The company knows how to handle trade tensions. They build cars in the U.S., employ American workers, and make big public investments when it matters. The NASCAR event with the MAGA gear was the most visible part of a much larger strategy. Whether it pays off depends on factors way bigger than one executive’s choice of hat.
What This Means for Auto Industry Politics
This event sets a precedent that other foreign automakers are probably watching closely. If wearing campaign merchandise and hosting Americana events helps get better tariff deals, expect to see more of it. If it backfires and Toyota faces boycotts or political blowback, others will steer clear.
For now, Toyoda made his play. He threw a party that celebrated American car culture, wore the hat, served the burgers, and got the ambassador to show up. The investments are flowing, the tariffs have come down from their peak, and Toyota’s covering all possible angles. Whether this was effective won’t be clear for months. But it definitely made for one of the stranger moments in recent automotive industry history.
