At one point, Toyoda choked back tears, saying, "Words don't express my gratitude." He also said he was grateful for Wednesday's hearing because it allowed a dialogue that would let American customers see that Toyotas are safe, and that he hopes to keep up a good working relationship with the United States. Toyoda took questions from the audience. When one Toyota employee asked, "What is the one thing you would say to President Obama?" Toyoda responded, "Toyota's car is safe." On Thursday morning, Toyoda held a private 30-minute meeting with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. They were joined by Inaba, DOT Deputy Secretary John Porcari, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator David Strickland. Afterwards, LaHood called the meeting "productive." In a statement, the automaker said that during the meeting Akio Toyoda had reaffirmed his intent to improve safety and improve communications. ABC's Lisa Stark contributed to this article.