Former president Donald Trump may have had a change of heart when it comes to his stance on electric vehicles following the “strong” endorsement that he received from Elon Musk.
The Hill reported that over the weekend, Trump categorically stated that he was for electric cars and even revealed that he simply did not have a choice since Musk was endorsing him.
“I’m for electric cars. I have to be because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice,” Trump said during his rally in Atlanta, clarifying that he only supports electric vehicles “for a small slice” of the overall number of cars on the road.
Before the endorsement, Trump has been vocal about his opposition to supporting EVs. He was frequently seen to rally against government policies geared towards electric vehicles. With his latest endorsement from Musk, he would still be expected not to welcome the environmental regulations that the Biden administration has been putting forward.
During a Michigan rally, Trump made positive remarks about the vehicles. He said that he has driven them and that they are incredible, however, he also clarified that they are not for everybody.
“I would expect that a Trump posture would not be forcing the traditional automakers into mandates that require them to do EVs, but there could be tax incentives… which would be beneficial to Tesla,” said Jason Cabel Roe, a Republican strategist.
The Wall Street Journal stated that Trump and Musk discussed an advisory role for the latter in another Trump presidency. Aside from this, Musk was reported to have pledged $45 million every month to a PAC that is pro-Trump. Musk, however, denied having committed that sum.
Trump has been very open when it comes to his distaste in electric cars. He even previously mentioned that the present administration “is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to give $7,500 tax credits to rich people who buy electric cars.”
