President Donald Trump is marking a major shift from his long history of criticizing electric vehicles. Just two years ago, he claimed, “Nobody wants to buy them,” and mocked their battery life. Now, after Tesla TSLA CEO Elon Musk endorsed him and invested heavily in his re-election campaign, Trump is not only supporting EVs but he said he's personally purchasing one.
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From Harsh Critic to Tesla Buyer
Trump has spent years attacking electric cars, frequently calling them unreliable and unpopular. In December 2023, during a town hall with Sean Hannity, he dismissed EVs outright.
“They have so many electric vehicles, nobody wants to buy them. They’re expensive. Although you’ll probably get them pretty cheap now, nobody wants to buy them,” he said. “Every time you make a car, we give you thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. And the people don’t want them.”
During an October 2023 rally in Iowa, Trump took another jab at EV owners, claiming they become “somewhat schizophrenic” because their vehicles run for only about 10 minutes before needing a charge.
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“The happiest people in the world are the people who just got their electric vehicle charged, for 10 minutes,” he said. “After that, they become somewhat schizophrenic because they’re thinking about where the hell am I going to get a recharge?”
A Sudden Change of Tune
Despite his past remarks, Trump has now apparently shifted his stance, particularly after Musk supported him. Speaking at a rally in Atlanta in August, Trump admitted, “I’m for electric cars. I have to because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So, I have no choice.”
Trump recently tested out Teslas at the White House, where he selected a red Tesla Model S. “I love Tesla,” he declared, adding that he hoped his purchase would boost the company’s stock. “I'm president, so I want to pay full price.”
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Trump’s Previous Attacks on EVs
Before his reversal, Trump repeatedly bashed EVs, often linking them to Democratic policies and mocking their range limitations. During a rally in Ankeny, Iowa, in late 2023, he dismissed them as impractical:
“They don't go far. They cost a fortune,” he said. He also ridiculed the idea of an all-electric military, asking, “You’re in the middle of the desert and you say, ‘You know what, we’re running low on electric. Do they have a charger around anywhere?'”
During the United Auto Workers strike in September 2023, Trump told a Michigan audience, “You go all electric so you can drive for 15 minutes before you have to get a charge.” He went even further on social media, calling Biden’s EV policies a “ridiculous all Electric Car Hoax” and claiming they were “the idea of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, & Communists.”
Musk’s Role in Trump’s Shift
Trump and Musk were not always allies. In 2022, Trump mocked Musk for seeking government subsidies, saying, “When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidized projects… I could have said, ‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it.”
But things have changed. Now, Musk is a key adviser to Trump, and the president has defended Musk against critics. “I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people,” Trump said. “And I just want people to know that he can't be penalized for being a patriot.”
After the Tesla showcase on the White House lawn, the New York Times reported that Musk has pledged $100 million to organizations aligned with Trump's campaign. This move is unusual for someone serving as a White House consultant, but Musk, who is leading Trump's initiative to reduce the size of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency, appears to be an exception.
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