This has ruffled some feathers.
Former President Trump has made a firm commitment to halt what he perceives as the “chaos” stemming from the Biden administration’s fervent endorsement of electric vehicles. This stance appears to be a strategic move aimed at garnering support from voters in the pivotal swing state of Michigan.
According to The Hill, in a recent pair of posts on Truth Social, Trump launched a critical attack on the electric vehicle sector and President Biden’s vigorous advocacy for its expansion. Trump’s opposition to electric vehicles seems driven by his desire to sway Michigan voters in his favor, particularly since Biden clinched the swing state in the 2020 election.
In his Truth Social post, Trump expressed concern that Michigan’s automotive industry would dwindle if President Biden’s ambitious vision of transitioning to “all Electric Cars” became a reality. He warned, “The Great State of Michigan will not have an auto industry anymore if Crooked Joe Biden’s crazed concept of ‘all Electric Cars’ goes into effect. CHINA WILL TAKE IT ALL, 100%. United Auto Workers, VOTE FOR TRUMP. Get your leaders to ENDORSE ME, I WILL KEEP ALL OF THESE GREAT JOBS, AND BRING IN MANY MORE. CHOICE IN SCHOOLS, AND CHOICE IN CARS!!!”
As of 2021, Michigan was home to over 175,000 auto manufacturing jobs, according to a report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit research center. While this figure remains higher than any other state, the report acknowledged that it represents only 37 percent of the jobs Michigan once had at its peak.
The Biden administration has been actively promoting the adoption of electric vehicles, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposing that two-thirds of new car sales could be electric by 2032. Furthermore, the Energy Department recently unveiled plans to invest $12 billion in converting auto manufacturing facilities into hybrid and electric vehicle plants.
In another Truth Social post, Trump criticized Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers, for endorsing the Biden administration’s latest investment in electric vehicles. Trump asserted, “Shawn Fain, the respected President of the United Auto Workers, cannot even think about allowing ALL ELECTRIC CARS — THEY WILL ALL BE MADE IN CHINA, and the Auto Industry in America will cease to exist! Vote for TRUMP, and I will stop this Madness, IMMEDIATELY! Mexico & Canada LOVE Biden’s idiotic policy. SAVE MICHIGAN and the other Auto States. SAVE THE AMERICAN CONSUMER!!!”
These remarks come at a critical juncture, as approximately 146,000 UAW members approach a strike deadline when their contract expires on September 14 with major U.S. automakers like General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford. Meanwhile, Fain has referred to their demands for a 46 percent pay raise, a 32-hour work week with 40 hours of pay, and the restoration of traditional pensions as “audacious.”
This is not the first instance where Trump has targeted the Biden administration’s electric vehicle agenda in an effort to win over Michigan voters. He has previously lauded the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which he negotiated in 2020, emphasizing the deal’s stringent requirements to bolster American car manufacturing in domestic factories by American workers. In a keynote address to Oakland County Republicans in Michigan back in June, Trump strongly criticized President Biden, characterizing his environmental policies as detrimental to Michigan and the American workforce.