Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has admitted that he has softened his staunch opposition to electric cars in order to win the endorsement of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The former president, known for his transactional politics, championed an economic agenda that relied heavily on cheap and abundant energy through fracking and mining of U.S. fossil fuel deposits that contribute to climate change. Tesla’s stated mission, however, is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
Speaking to supporters in Atlanta, Trump now said that electric cars are not bad at all, adding that they may continue to be a small segment of the US auto market if he retakes the White House.
“I’m for electric cars. I should be, you know, because Elon Musk has been so supportive of me,” he said in comments widely shared among Musk’s fan base by accounts like John Stringer’s “Silicon Valley Tesla Owners” and Blog My tsarati“So I have no choice.”
“I’m for electric cars. I have to do it because Elon Musk has strongly supported me, so I have no choice.”
Donald Trump
pic.twitter.com/A0SfvDp5Al— Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) August 5, 2024
Last month, the New York real estate mogul vowed to rescind President Biden’s electric vehicle subsidies, which he called a “new green hoax,” on the first day of a second Trump administration.
Speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, Trump explained that all future electric cars will be made in China, because the United States does not have the mineral resources that its rival, China, does. Global Market Leader In lithium battery processing.
“They don’t go far (and) they cost a lot,” he said. He saidReferring to electric cars, he said: “I love Tesla, but you know what? They’re limited.”
Meanwhile, his vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, pushed a bill called “American Driving Act” That would cancellation Biden proposes cutting the $7,500 federal tax on electric cars and instead giving it to traditional combustion engine vehicles.
That has put Musk on the defensive, forcing the electric-car champion to claim late last month that Trump’s hostility to electric cars would hurt his competitors more than it would hurt Tesla itself.
Musk’s brand sells nearly as many electric cars in the United States as All of its other competitors combined.Along with China’s BYD, Hyundai is one of only two automakers in the world that profitably makes electric cars at scale.
Consumers Flee Brands in Europe
However, Elon Musk’s brand of right-wing politics, which has become increasingly fervent since his takeover of Twitter in late October 2022, has divided the Tesla community into those who support its mission to phase out fossil fuels and tech enthusiasts who primarily support Musk.
Anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests this has contributed to a small but growing number of customers abandoning the brand in favor of competitors like Rivian, especially in Tesla’s California stronghold.
Europe, which Electric car market 60% larger than the US, Tesla has seen demand decline as the business mogul takes over I embraced The continent far righta Trump ally who has been a source of much controversy on the continent. As president, Trump has grown close to Russian President Vladimir Putin while trade mark The European Union is America’s real “enemy” in the region.
Musk’s involvement with fringe political parties like the Alternative for Germany, is under official scrutiny by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, Danger to democracyThis has led to a decline in support for the brand in an EV-friendly market where consumers are already spoilt for choice.
Registration data for the Germanythe United kingdom And FranceData from Tesla Europe, the three largest markets for electric cars in Europe, showed that Tesla’s sales in the first seven months fell by 41%, 13% and 28% respectively, compared to the same period last year.
Compared to the latest Continent-level data Electric vehicle sales showed a 1.6% increase in the first half of this year, meaning all other brands significantly outperformed Tesla.
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