Former U.S. president Donald Trump held a rally in Michigan last night in an attempt to win the support of autoworkers amid the ongoing UAW strike against the Big Detroit Three (GM, Ford, Stellantis). Trump focused primarily on the industry-wide shift to electric vehicles, characterizing EVs as detrimental to the American economy and labor. Trump’s rally was held one day after his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, visited UAW picket lines.
Donal Trump spoke at Drake Enterprises Inc., an automotive supplier in Clinton Township that offers gear shift levers and transmission components for internal-combustion-powered heavy trucks. Drake Enterprise employees are not represented by the UAW. It’s estimated that 400 to 500 supporters attended the rally, although it’s unclear how many in attendance were auto workers.
During his speech, Donald Trump argued that the shift to electric vehicles was a “hit job” on Detroit.
“The auto industry is being assassinated,” Trump told the crowd. “If you want to buy an electric car, that’s absolutely fine. I’m all for it. But we should not be forcing consumers to buy electric vehicles they don’t want to buy.”
Trump also addressed the role labor had to play in the EV transition.
“You can be loyal to American labor or you can be loyal to the environmental lunatics,” Trump said. “But you can’t really be loyal to both. It’s one or the other.”
Labor leaders have expressed concern that the EV transition will result in job losses, as electric vehicles traditionally require fewer parts than equivalent ICE-powered vehicles.
Trump’s rally was held amid the ongoing strike by the United Auto Workers against GM, Ford, and Stellantis following the expiration of previous labor contracts on September 14th. UAW President Shawn Fain has been outspoken in his criticism of Donald Trump, accusing the former U.S. president of “[serving] the billionaire class,” rather than American workers. During his speech, Trump said that if the UAW backs Trump for president, Fain could take a vacation and the union would be better off than ever.
Democratic rival Joe Biden was in Michigan on Tuesday to visit the UAW picket line at the GM Willow Run Distribution Center, marking the first time in modern history that a sitting president has joined a picket line.
The UAW is expected to expand its strike this Friday.
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Comments
literally one of the dumbest things ever said… its added more jobs and that’s just a fact.
It’s not literally the dumbest thing. It may have added more jobs currently but if we are forced away from ICE vehicles it will result in massive job cuts.
so is losing an entire industry by being a luddite…
Damn right
EVs are the future however legacy auto won’t catch up to Tesla even in the next 20 years.
Tesla’s biggest advantage is scale. Yes, it is currently hard for legacy autos to match the features/price, but they will get there.
EV’s are not the future. Take away the incentives and the sales drop. Also we have major infrastructure issues through out the country and our electrical grid could not handle it. Solar and wind aren’t the answers, so that leaves coal and Nuclear. We all know one side of the isle doesn’t want that. How much lithium and Cobalt is there? Is it enough to feed the world? Let’s talk about the costs of an EV on a minor accident. If the battery is damaged, the car is totaled. Let’s talk about the fires. ~6,000 gallons of water needed to out one out. If the car catches fire and it’s not near a fire hydrant then they have to let it burn itself out. That’s great for the environment. Lets talk about the cars that are catching fire in Florida cause the batteries came into contact with salt. If our electrical grid gets attacked who do we charge cars? We don’t. You can use a generator to pump fuel to fill ICE vehicles.
Let the free markets let it come out in the wash. If the government tells you to do something usually if you do the opposite you will come out a winner.
If Trump or Desantis get elected and they get gas back to $2 where it was when JB took over,
that will also slow down the urge for EVs.
EVs are not good for any traveling outside you area. Charging up might start costing as much as gas.
China has most of the minerals needed for batteries.
It will be interesting to see if early EVs become worthless as EVs keep changing quickly with faster
charging and longer range or lower prices. Gas vehicles could hold value, until or if the EV rage is successful,
This is one of craziest things I hear red hats say. $2/gallon gas would cause the domestic petroleum industry to collapse! The only reason we had that during Trump’s reign was a global pandemic, where the domestic price of oil went to -$35/barrel.
So which is it? Are you a communist who wants to nationalize and subsidize the oil and gas industry? Or are you an environmentalist that wants the US petroleum industry to go bankrupt so that we all have to drive electric cars?
$2 gas was common well before Covid in Trump’s term. Gas only went up because invalid Joe declared war on the fossil furl industry by canceling pipelines and drilling and with reckless spending driving up inflation.
This Rhonda clown seems to think “Big Electric” won’t be as bad as “Big Oil”. So gullible.
The added bonus for the government and similar control freaks will be their tasty-treat, newfound ability to control the power supply, have government-dictated rolling power outages (no drive times), and have yet another reason to tax the bejesus out of the common man.
And nevermind the slave labor, strip-mining (once a battle cry for the libbies, but is now super-awesome), and looming battery disposal/ground & groundwater poisoning issues….
But never mind the power hungry and the environmental issues, this Rhonda clown is “all-in” without understanding why…..because the TV told her so.
Only another country shut down will do that, don’t kid yourself!
He’s correct. Not all of us want to buy that EV garbage!
You’re right…..those $2 gallon gas prices, secure borders, and low inflation under the Trump years were horrible.
I’m so glad Desantis called this hack out last night.
I am shocked that it has taken this long before any Politian has taken up the EV time line.
I think this is a powerful topic for the election and anyone willing to try to slow or delay the laws will hold an strong advantage.
The real key here is to be honest with all aspects. Wile EV is not popular with the masses there are many that do like them and want them,.
A program of continued development and then let the market choose what they want.
Also what needs addressed is the attack on the ICE cars. We as racers and hobbyist are now under attack. CARB is now looking to restrict when and where you could drive your collector cars. They may stop you from driving them in parts of the state or they may add additional daily charges like London to drive in some cities.
This topic hits home with enough voters to get you elected so no matter who the one that embraces this and goes after it will hold an advantage. Just be honest about it and also make sure to do what you say or in 4 years it is over.
“…let the market choose what they want”.
That’s not what the libbies/greenies want. It’s insanely obvious.
Note the EV needs to sell based on it’s own merits not the price of gas. People need to want them because they are good and sorted cars.
If you get them right many will buy them for what they are not because they were forced on them.
In the mean time we have a ton of oil in this country and are not close to running out. We just need the will to be independent and some folks are paid off to prevent that.
Of course, electrical engines are and have allways been much much more efficient than ICEs, and have taken the place of the steam engine everywhere, except in autonomous vehicles which are not able to get their electric current from a land line via some kind of contact, i.e. airplanes, ships and street vehicles.
But even in those, none of them can move without an electrical engine starting the ICE in the first place. And today you have electrical motors by the dozens in a modern automobile. Nobody has ever thought of driving the windshield wiper with a little ICE, or to use a liottle ICE to move the door window up and down. Electrical engines are just miles, what say I, thousands of miles more efficient and more convenient than ICEs.
ICEs have only found their asylum in land vehicles, ships and airplanes, because a century ago and even some decades or only years ago, the electric energy supply on a autonomous moving vehicle could only be delivered by a lead-acid battery whose energy density is just too low to be able to provide for a trip as far as the next street corner, but THIS HAS CHANGED WITH TODAY’s modern batteries with Lithium and also other materials, and with fuel cells consuming H2 or some other matter.
So that is a sea change which the whole society much more efficient by saving a lot of human labor and materials, as happened over and over with ever important improvement in general energy efficiency. And providing work for an increasing number of workers, at the same time working less hours for a better standard of living.
But — unter capitalistic conditions, this is dependant on capitalists finding new investment areas equally or even more profitally by gaining the general efficiency of the global production processes.
But that need not be a natural calamity.
Tell us more, Comrade.
Just how much more do these ev’s weigh than a comparable ice?
I would imagine all of these arguments were similar when the newfangled automobiles were going to replace the horse. No one believed that would ever happen.
Automakers: Develop MILD hybrid vehicles to slowly convince the masses that EVs can work if offered properly, at first. GM blew it upon discontinuing Chevy’s Malibu mild hybrid model. A stupid move then but now such a model WOULD sell. That model was ahead of its time but the GM suits were short sighted, so to speak. A lost opportunity, unfortunately! ♐
Agree that GM abandoned hybrids too quickly and over-rotated to EVs. A 4 cylinder or even a small block V8 with hybrid power to boost fuel economy or increase performance (maybe with a setting) would have been a great way to leverage existing production and profitability into the future. Pure ICE vehicles had plenty of room to improve efficiency and emissions, too, but are suffering a political assassination.
Sure, EVs are great for commuting, especially if you have your own power supply, but are rather bland and heavy vehicles. Truth is, a lot of people still like being able to refuel in 5 minutes.
Meanwhile the price of new ICE vehicles are rocketing upward to try to subsidize EVs. $50K seems to be the entry point into a decent new vehicle these days, but closer to $75K for EVs.
No, EVs aren’t going to kill the Detroit auto industry. Americans holding onto their existing cars longer and longer is going to kill it.
Six of one, half dozen of another. Dead is dead.
Who cares what Trump says? The US government is raising emission standards starting in 2027. That doesn’t mean the ICE will be prohibited. It means more EV’s or other types of cleaner technology will have to be added into the total mix of a car manufacturer’s production. If you don’t want one, don’t buy one. Stop your whining. Your neighbor’s new EV will likely make it possible for you to buy another gas guzzling, oil leaking, anti-freeze dripping, noisy, polluting clunker until you fall over dead from the effects of global warming.
Automakers, especially GM, are trying to woo customers into BEV’s with large screens and futuristic designs. But are they worth it?
I have had this discussion with a couple of people. Let’s compare the Silverado EV 3WT with a Silverado WT with the 2.7L TurboMax. The Silverado EV 3WT is estimated to cost around $75,000. The ICE version of the WT can be had for around $45,000 with a few options. That means the buyer is paying a $30,000 premium to not have to go to the gas station ever again. But, assuming that interest rates are 0% (which they are not) and that electricity is free (not the case either), how much gas would you have to save in order to break even on your $30,000 investment?
The gas station outside my window is charging $3.74 per gallon today. At that price, you can buy 8021 gallons of gas for $30,000. What does 8021 gallons of gas get you? If your TurboMax gets 20mpg on the highway, that means that 8021 gallons will propel your truck for 160,420 miles. Assuming that the average person drives 12,000-15,000 miles per year, that means that $30,000 worth of gas will last you 10-13 years of driving the same truck. That would be to break even. Do the new truck batteries even last 10-13 years before needing to be replaced? If people are just leasing these, they are only going to drive them for a few years and maybe put 30,000-40,000 miles on them before leasing another one. This just proves that people are not buying these to save the planet, they just want a shiny new toy. Waste of money considering the current charging network and convenience of gasoline.
One thing to add is that no one mentions the insurance on an electric car can be double that of an ICE car. So, if you are paying $1,000 more per year, that is a lot of gasoline money to make up that they say you are saving as if electricity is free. When more cars are EVs, watch the price of electricity double and triple down the road. That’s a given.
Let The People decide if they want to buy an EV or not without the tax payer subsidizing them nor politicians forcing them on us with ICE bans.
If EVs are as wonderful as their proponents claim, they will win on their own merits.
If I want to drive an ICE vehicle until I die LEAVE ME ALONE and I’ll leave you alone.
Live Free or Die!
Government wants to pick winners and loser in their unholy alliance with businesses (and the media).
Government wants to create winners and losers with their virtue signaling pandering.
I have a PHEV and an EV. I bought these voluntarily. So from actual experience, Why get an EV? Not cost savings, electricity in CA is expensive. REASON – convenience, long work commute, can use car pool lane with single rider, less stops at gas stations. Note PHEV used local on electric, but no problems on long drives. EV, 300 mile rating (0-100%) charge at home. no intention of charging elsewhere or trying long drives.
Try the 300-mile drive in a cold winter.
I hope the UAW goes bankrupt. We have plenty of jobs in CA! McDonald’s pays 22hr. We need you here! Free tents for everyone!
I lied about this being my last post this is though. Did someone push those dumb subs on you??? Did they push hummer on you?? Did they push small econo box cars on you?? Hybrids?? Sally pick ups?? Large 70k pick ups??? The answer is NOOOOOO. People just love buying what’s in, I felt in the mid 80s seeing those stinking mini vans like pathetic compared to my 82 G20 chevy van after touring Europe in 84 to 85 racing motocross. My 85 Z28 was awesome, but that’s a car with history. I still have both to this day. EVs are here even MX bikes are going that way, 2 strokes hone EFI 4 strokes here now. I still love old 2 strokes over my 17 crf450r. But I doubt I will ever buy a EV car, bike hmmmm maybe I can buzz around and cops eon t hear anything. If uou love electric you hot it if you are a ICE guy like me we still have it. I think in a few decades it will be a mix of vehicles out there. ICE won’t dissappear for decades, but I have a serious question. If ICE cars and bikes slowly fade how much will a gallon of gas cost??? And what about there revsale value??? That’s what bugs me. 2023 value of a jenko 69 camaro 250k 2060 same car value what??? Equal to a Yugoslavia a slavage yard?? Where to buy gas?? Parts?? This is scary stuff but at 58 what can I do. Remember sedans almost gone, even mimi trash vans replaed by suvs and cross overs. Like I said they try to sell it even push it, but if it’s a flop it’s gone. As Bartlesville and James once said we thank you for your support. Ahhj miss clubbing and drinking bkack cherry wine coolers. And what happened to the Zima drink??? Peace out and much live folks.
I am sure there was just as much hate and fear when society was transitioning from horse drawn wagons to horseless carriages. It is fear and ignorance that drives all the current hate on BEV’s. People make most big decisions based on cost. I assure you that no more than two years from now a BEV will be cheaper to buy, cheaper to maintain, and far cheaper to re-fuel (recharge) than ICE vehicles. I am almost sure that two years beyond that no one will be buying ICE vehicles without a huge rebate on the hood. Today’s BEV’s aren’t compelling. Neither was the first horseless carriage one hundred years ago.
We are one hundred years into the internal combustion engine and it is still no more than 34-35% efficient. One third of the energy from the gasoline is lost as heat and another third is lost as exhaust. It may never get better than that. Electric motors are more than 92% efficient and they are still finding ways to improve on them today. Battery technology is improving at a record pace. Within the next couple years the BEV’s on the market will come with batteries that have more than double the energy density of todays batteries, will charge to 100% in ten to fifteen minutes, and will provide a range of 400 to 500 miles on a charge. But more import, the BEV will be cheaper than the ICE vehicle. And that will be why the ICE vehicles will fade out of production. Not because of any government law, but because consumers will not want them.
Fear and ignorance is no excuse to stand still. If our auto industry does not move forward into all BEV in a short period of time, they will no longer exist. Do your homework and read up on the advancements taking place in the world of BEV’s, solar, wind, and battery storage, and you will then have the knowledge to be comfortable about where our future is going. It’s not standing still. On the contrary a paradigm shift is taking place now. It is happening whether you understand it or not.
So I suggest that you stop hating on the future, and embrace it. The future looks great when you have the real knowledge of where things are headed.
Sorry, you are living in the past. Hydrogen will be the real future.
Electric is 130 years old technology!!! The climate A-holes are going backwards! Figure out how to control the sun and volcanoes. They impact the weather more than anything. The earth’s inner core controls the ocean temperatures. We don’t mean $hit on this planet. We are still defrosting from the last Ice-Age!
Want sugar or Sweet n’ Low with that Kool Aide?
I still think hydrogen is the smartest way going forward
I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet, but it will soon. When criminals figure out that people are waiting at unmanned charging stations/ports there will be massive increase in car jackings/assaults/rapes/robberies and murders. Imagine a rural charge station in Kansas or Montana or Mountainous areas etc. with weak to no cell service.