Trump slams Biden's visit to auto union picket lines over EV mandate

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed President Joe Biden's visit to autoworker picket lines, arguing that it is an "insulting attempt to distract" from his electric vehicle mandate that will "annihilate" the U.S. vehicle industry.

"Joe Biden's draconian and indefensible Electric Vehicle mandate will annihilate the U.S. auto industry and cost countless thousands of autoworkers their jobs," Trump said. 

Biden signed an executive order in 2021 with the goal of having 50% of all new passenger cars and light trucks have zero emissions by 2030.

Additionally, Biden's goal is for the federal government to go completely electric. His plan requires federal agencies to acquire 100% light-duty zero-emission vehicles by 2027 and 100% medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

"The only thing Biden could say today that would help the striking autoworkers is to announce the immediate termination of his ridiculous mandate," Trump also said. "Anything else is just a feeble and insulting attempt to distract American labor from this vicious Biden betrayal."

Trump additionally predicted that "in three years there will be no autoworker jobs," as vehicles will all "come out of China." However, electric vehicle battery plants are located throughout the United States and more are being built.

Electric vehicles are a major point of contention for the striking union because they take less labor to build than gasoline-powered vehicles. 

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