Maybe they plan to keep manufacturing in the US just under Nippon leadership?

It was a sarcastic laugh. Zero chance Nippon gives a crap about the US. That’s not a jab at Nippon. That’s just the nature of any international corporation. There could be plenty of laws and contracts that prevent shenanigans, but ultimately all profit will go back to Japan. There is no scenario where foreign ownership of a company is better for the US than it being owned by US entities/people.

The entirety of US leadership at every level seems dead set on selling off every asset that made this country independent and powerful. It’s a sad state of affairs that I can only laugh at out of disgust and sadness.