Trump: 'I'm against anyone having an electric car'

US President Trump speaks out against anyone owning an electric car, despite the defense that billionaire Elon Musk just showed to the former president.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who supported Biden and was skeptical of Trump, recently switched sides and supported Trump. But Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump showed that his hatred of electric cars remains unchanged from before.

"Elon Musk supports me and he's a friend of mine. But I'm against anybody having an electric car," Trump said while speaking at an event in Chicago on July 31, according to Reuters .

Mr. Trump

Mr Trump has said electric cars would “kill” the US auto industry and called it a “job killer”. He has argued that electric cars don’t go far and are too expensive.

But in recent months, Mr. Trump has softened his stance on electric vehicles. “I talk about electric vehicles a lot, but that doesn’t mean I’m against them,” he said in Michigan on July 20. “I’m totally for electric vehicles.” He later added, “I’ve driven an electric vehicle, and it’s incredible, but it’s not for everybody.”

Now, the former president has come out and said he is against anyone having an electric car.

Musk's move has therefore raised questions about whether electric carmaker Tesla will be negatively affected by the former president's clear stance on battery-powered vehicles.

Mr Trump also promised to end the US government’s “mandate” for electric vehicles and raise taxes on items like auto parts. The mandate in question is President Joe Biden’s $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which provides up to $7,500 in subsidies for electric vehicle buyers.

The end, if it actually happens, would cause auto sales to fall 27% in 2030, according to the Brookings Institution. A 10% tariff on imported auto parts could add $1,500 to the average car price, according to an analysis from Wells Fargo.

But Tesla is not among the majority. Wells Fargo points out that 65% of the electric carmaker’s components come from the US and Canada, compared with 45% for the industry as a whole. And Tesla, unlike its Detroit rivals, is still making money on zero-emission vehicles.

General Motors (GM) said on July 23 that its electric vehicles will take longer than expected to recoup costs after the company reduced production.

The policy change, if it happens, will make the transition to electric vehicles more difficult for Tesla’s rivals. Both GM and Ford have changed their plans, reducing EV production, although it is really due to market realities and customer demand, not to Trump’s attitude. But the fact that both “giants” have slowed down in the race has given Tesla an advantage as the competition becomes less intense.