Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced that he will abolish the electric vehicle (EV) purchase subsidy on his first day in office.
According to the AP and other sources, Trump made this declaration to appeal for support in Michigan and Wisconsin, key battleground states in the election, on the 2nd (local time). He criticized President Joe Biden’s EV support and border policies, stating, “The U.S. has more gasoline than any other nations in the world. I want Americans to drive internal combustion engine cars more.” He added, “Electric vehicles are the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of. On the first day of my term, I promise to sign off on the abolition of electric vehicle (subsidized) orders.”
Michigan and Wisconsin, which Trump visited on the day, are representative battleground states. Trump won in the 2016 presidential election, but Biden won in 2020. In particular, Michigan is home to the headquarters of major U.S. automakers such as General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler). This region once thrived economically due to the popularity of American cars, but it is gradually declining due to competition with foreign cars.
Targeting the Democrats, he claimed, “I do not represent auto workers, and the idea of replacing all cars with electric vehicles, which will all be made in China, is very bad.” He continued, “China is trying to avoid tariffs by building factories in Mexico and exporting cars to the U.S.,” warning that “Michigan and the United Auto Workers (UAW) will be completely ruined.”
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