Trump's unexpected war on EVs: What's driving the backlash?

Donald Trump frequently rants about the things he despises, and when he's not targeting Joe Biden or the prosecutors investigating his alleged crimes, he often criticizes electric cars for their perceived shortcomings.

When the former president developed his absolute hate for electric vehicles is difficult to pinpoint since as recently as 2020 Trump said he was “all for electric cars” while he was debating Joe Biden on their climate plans.

“I’m OK with electric cars, too. I’m all for electric cars,” Trump said at the time according to CNBC before adding: “I’ve given big incentives for electric cars. What they’ve done in California is just crazy.” But was this a lie?

The former president’s remarks on the debate stage in 2020 contrasted sharply with the actual policies his administration pursued. For example, in March 2019 when the Trump White House proposed something worrying. 

The Trump administration wanted to end the $7500 federal tax credit for individuals who wanted to purchase an electric vehicle rather than a car powered by gasoline. However, Trump’s lip service to electric cars is now over. 

A good example of the former president’s shift on the issue can be seen in an awkward June 2023 Trump rally speech in Michigan that saw him go after Biden and his plan for electric cars in America, one he said would kill jobs. 

“Biden is a catastrophe for Michigan and his environmental extremism is heartless and disloyal and horrible for the American worker and you’re starting to see it, Trump stated during a keynote address to Oakland County Republicans. 

The former president went on to write that electric cars would decimate suppliers and kill jobs in the state because of Biden’s regulations. “It’s going to be at a level that, that people can’t even imagine,” Trump said, according to The Hill. 

Time covered Trump’s disdain for electric vehicles in a September 2023 article and noted that the former president’s newfound dislike for Biden’s electric push was “an argument that the technology harms American workers.”

Trump using electric vehicles as a means to distinguish himself from Biden in 2024 makes a lot of sense, and it could explain why the former president’s rhetoric on electric technology has gotten increasingly more aggresive. 

In March 2024, said during a campaign rally in Ohio he would place a 100% tariff on all electric cars imported from Mexico in a rather unhinged speech aimed at Biden, China, and the possibility of Americans losing good jobs. 

“China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re going to build the cars in Mexico, and they think they’re going to sell those cars into the United States — no,” Trump said at the campaign rally according to Politico. 

“We’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars — if I get elected,” Trump continued, adding that it would be a “bloodbath” if he didn’t get elected. 

Politico reported that Trump's comments also included remarks about union leaders in the industry, specifically the United Auto Workers union, which has continued its support of Biden despite its own fears over electric vehicles. 

The news outlet also added that Trump has been trying to drive a wedge between union leaders and their rank-and-file members, which might be another explanation for why he has taken such a hard stance against electric vehicles. 

However, even if Trump does win in November, he is not likely to succeed if he attempts to end the sale of electric cars in the U.S. according to the New York Times, which wrote that experts have noted the market has grown to a point where Trump can’t hurt it. 

“Analysts say that even if Mr. Trump is elected and ends federal policies that support electric vehicles, by the time that happens, the market may have reached a level where it would keep growing without government help,” the New York Times' Coral Davenport and Jack Ewing wrote. 

Whether Trump is genuine about his dislike for electric vehicles or if his policy right now is just postering to capture more votes is not known. However, his rhetoric isn’t going to help a technology that the world must transition to eventually. 

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