Donald Trump Admits ‘No Choice’ But to Support Electric Cars After Elon Musk’s Strong Endorsement

Former President Donald Trump recently shocked everyone by saying he supports electric cars. He linked this to Tesla CEO Elon Musk backing his presidential campaign. At a rally in Georgia, Trump said, “I’m for electric cars. I have to be because, you know, Elon endorsed me very strongly. So, I have no choice.” This made people wonder if there’s some quid pro quo arrangement going on between Trump and Musk. It’s a big change from Trump’s old stance where he slammed the Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles, calling it a “transition to hell,” as per AA .

Trump’s been talking about electric vehicles lately. He says he’s all for them but with a catch. He made it clear that he thinks of them as just a tiny part of the whole car industry. Basically, he supports EVs but only as a “small slice” of the bigger picture. “You want to have gas-propelled cars. You want to have hybrids. You want to have every kind of car,” Trump told the crowd, emphasizing consumer choice. The relationship between Trump and Musk has been evolving. Musk, once seen as a champion of climate-conscious initiatives, has recently embraced more conservative politics, particularly on free speech issues. His acquisition of Twitter (now X) and subsequent policy changes have aligned him more closely with right-wing perspectives.

Musk’s support for Trump intensified following an assassination attempt on the former president last month. While Musk has publicly backed Trump, he denies reports of a $45 million donation to a pro-Trump super PAC. Trump’s newfound support for EVs is tempered by his continued criticism of the Biden administration’s electric vehicle regulations. He opposes Joe Biden’s plan to grow electric vehicle sales to half of all new vehicle sales by 2030. At a Bitcoin conference in July, Trump stated, “Not everybody has to have an electric car. I told him that. So we’re going to get rid of that mandate if you don’t mind,” as per Business Insider .

The former president has also consistently attacked the cost of nationwide EV charger installation . His estimates for this cost have been wildly inconsistent, ranging from $5 trillion to $12 trillion at different events. These figures sharply contrast with the $7.5 billion allocated in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 for EV charging infrastructure. Interestingly, Trump’s support for EVs coincides with the emergence of America PAC, a super PAC created by Musk.

This political action committee (PAC) has spent more than $800,000 on digital ads since early July, mainly aiming at voters in important battleground states. Their plan is to gather voter data through “register to vote” campaigns. Experts think this info will help them with their canvassing and other political moves. The creation of America PAC and Musk now owning X (which used to be called Twitter) make him a big player in the next presidential election. Daniel Weiner, who works at the Brennan Center’s elections and government program, says, “These PACs have often functioned as the alter ego of whatever billionaire is behind them,” as per CNBC .