Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, is pledging to repeal President Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates while warning American auto workers that their jobs will be obsolete within a couple of years if Democrats have their way.
As Breitbart News has chronicled, about 34,000 auto workers across the United States are on strike against General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis as they work to negotiate a new contract with higher wages to keep up with record inflation as well as commitments that their jobs will not be eliminated as a result of Biden’s EV mandates.
In a video message to United Auto Workers (UAW) members, Trump said he will repeal Biden’s EV mandates, which he says will eliminate their jobs within two years.
“I will repeal Joe Biden’s electric vehicle mandate and I will do everything in my power to achieve a drastic reduction in the cost of a new car. I will get the prices way down so that you can afford the lifestyle your family deserves,” Trump said:
If you’re a United Auto Worker, or an auto worker of any standard of any state, I don’t care, they’re going to destroy your business. Within two years, you’re not going to have a job. I’m going to bring back jobs. I’m going to bring back the manufacture of automobiles in our country. Millions and millions of automobiles are brought into our country every year. And we’re going to now make our own automobiles like we used to many years ago. [Emphasis added]
…
Tell your union head … tell him to not endorse the Democrats who are going to put you out of business. You’re going to be out of a job. Doesn’t matter what you get on an hourly basis, you’ll be out of a job within two years. I’m going to make you rich. I’m going to get you a job. You’re going to make a lot of money and you’re going to make a lot of cars. We’re going to bring back the car industry to America. [Emphasis added]
Guests attend a campaign rally with former U.S. President Donald Trump at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Guests listen as former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Guests attend a campaign rally with former U.S. President Donald Trump at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump also blasted Biden’s EV mandates for driving up car prices for working and middle class Americans.
“Car prices are up nearly 30% since I left office with the average new car now costing an astonishing $50,000 and more,” Trump said. “The typical car payment is now almost $750 a month. It’s a war on American automobiles and it’s a war on the American family and a war on the American dream because it really is.”
“Biden’s electric vehicle mandate and his insane fuel economy standards … are forcing car companies to drastically raise prices and even eliminate their affordable gas-powered models altogether which people want,” he continued. “… to comply with Biden’s mandate, automakers have no choice but to push consumers toward their ultra-expensive electric models. And if they don’t, they’re punished with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines.”
Automakers view Biden’s EV mandates as a massive cost-saving measure for their bottom line which, in return, would help boost executives’ salaries. Automaker executives are set to score billions in lucrative tax credits thanks to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will incentivize EV production and sales.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
