In a pair of Truth Social posts Monday evening, Trump took aim at the electric vehicle industry and President Biden’s push for more electric vehicles. With this opposition to electric vehicles, Trump is likely trying to persuade Michigan voters to support him over Biden, who carried the swing state in 2020.
The Biden administration has pushed to boost electric car sales, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicting that two-thirds of new car sales could be electric by 2032 under a new proposal released by the administration earlier this year. Last week, the Energy Department announced plans to invest $12 billion into converting auto manufacturing facilities into plants for hybrid and electric vehicles.
Trump also took aim at Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers, for supporting the Biden administration’s latest investment into electric vehicles.
It’s performative opposition. No one really thinks there’s some kind of actually intellectually coherent views regarding incandescent bulbs, fuel efficiency, or solar power. It’s a conditioned reaction at this point. Sure, the oil lobby will oppose it, but it’s not like Big Bulb is trying to get rid of smart bulbs.
They’ve been conditioned to respond to the talking point of “the government is trying to tel you what to do” to such an extent that Biden could win the next election if he announced a government initiative to stop people from chaining themselves to rocks and jumping into the nearest lake.