Former President Donald Trump took a swipe at electric vehicles in a weekend speech in Pennsylvania's coal mining town.
What Happened: Trump told a rally crowd in Wilkes-Barre of an incident involving an unnamed friend who got an electric car because he wanted to do “something for the environment.”
Trump's anti-electric car rant is really something pic.twitter.com/hJOUs8fXsW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 4, 2022
The friend made a trip between Kentucky and Washington, Trump said, adding that “he wanted to go all-electric because he wanted to save our country.”
However, Trump added that the person was exhausted due to the frequent breaks required to charge the vehicle during the journey.
“He told me ….. ‘please, please let’s get rid of this stuff’,” said Trump to the rally-goers. The former president said it took his friend “more time to charge the damn car” than he could spend in it driving.
See Also: How To Buy Tesla (TSLA) Stock
Why It Matters: Trump indicated at the rally that he would remove subsidies that apply to electric vehicles, reported Fortune.
It is unlikely that Trump would have been referring to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of the few members of Congress that drives a Tesla Inc TSLA vehicle, noted Fortune.
The sharp comments on EVs come amid festering acrimony between Trump and Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk.
In July, Musk came out in support of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as president and said Trump would be “too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America.”
Musk had also said that Trump should hang up his hat and “sail into the sunset.”
Price Action: On Friday, Tesla shares closed 2.5% lower at $270.21 in regular trading and fell 0.3% in the after-hours session, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
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