Resurfaced comments from US President Donald Trump regarding electric vehicles dramatically contrast his recently announced support of Tesla, as he brutally rejected their position in the American landscape.
Following his recently-formed strong bond with Elon Musk, it's no surprise that Trump has now gone all-in on Tesla and their market-leading electric vehicles.
Despite sales declines, value drops, and stock price losses over the last couple of months, Musk's electric vehicle empire remains the most valuable car company in the world, and holds the 11th highest market cap globally.
Although he's not actually able to drive the car, President Trump recently announced that he's buying his very own brand-new Tesla in a bizarre publicity stunt where he claimed that violence against the manufacturer's dealerships is now classified as 'domestic terrorism'.
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However, the president has had somewhat of a rocky history with electric vehicles, and a number of 'brutal' comments have resurfaced offering a contradictory position to where Trump currently sits, as reported by AP.
Perhaps most notably, Trump posted on Christmas Day in 2023 with a tirade against his political opponents, which included the 'Electric Car Lunacy'. He outlined that these rivals are "looking to destroy our once great USA," and that "MAY THEY ROT IN HELL." Wonder if he still thinks the same now that he's gleefully sat in a Tesla?
He has also previously focused on the allegedly limited charge of electric vehicles, indicating that "you better get yourself a gas turbine" to drive out of New Hampshire "because this car is not going to get you there."
In a similar vein, he also declared that "you go all electric so you can drive for 15 minutes before you have to get a charge."
Outside of his issues with the long-distance viability of electric vehicles, he has also complained that their creation "was the idea of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, & Communists" in a social media post, adding that "within 3 years, all of these cars will be made in China."
This offers quite a stark contrast to his recent statements on both Tesla and Musk, in which he has posted on Truth Social to claim that 'Radical Left Lunatics' "are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World's great automakers," pledging his support for Musk who he claims is "a truly great American."
Trump's close links with Musk were also one of the main reasons why the car manufacturer saw unprecedented stock jumps following the election despite the President's previous opposition to EVs, and these recent pledges of support have further reaffirmed Trump's faith in Musk and his companies.
Much like his flip flopping on electric cars, Trump also wasn't always the fan of Musk as resurfaced footage shows him ripping into the richest man in the world, calling him a 'bulls*** artist'.