Trump warns Biden EV mandate will hurt auto workers, tells union leaders to pick a side

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday excoriated President Joe Biden's electric vehicle mandate, warning that the policy would spell the end of American automotive industry and advising union leaders to back its repeal.

"Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicle mandate will murder the U.S. auto industry and kill countless union autoworker jobs forever, especially in Michigan and the Midwest," he said in a Thursday statement. "There is no such thing as a 'fair transition' to the destruction of these workers' livelihoods and the obliteration of this cherished American industry."

"The only acceptable policy for UAW [United Auto Workers] members should be the complete and total repeal of Biden's catastrophic EV mandate," the statement continued. "President Trump looks forward to doing exactly that on his first day back in the Oval Office. Union leadership must decide whether they will stand with Biden and other far-left political cronies in Washington, or whether they will stand with front-line autoworkers and President Trump."

Earlier this week, Trump warned that Biden's push for a transition to electric vehicles would result in the industry moving to China and further urged UAW members to support his return to the White House.

"CHINA WILL TAKE IT ALL, 100%. United Auto Workers, VOTE FOR TRUMP," he posted on Truth Social. "Get your leaders to ENDORSE ME, I WILL KEEP ALL OF THESE GREAT JOBS, AND BRING IN MANY MORE. CHOICE IN SCHOOLS, AND CHOICE IN CARS!!!"

His warning came amid talk of a prospective UAW strike. Many worker contracts expire Sept. 14 and the union has thus far negotiated unsuccessfully with major vehicle manufacturers.

The former president's Thursday statement concluded by highlighting his record and the efforts he made to preserve domestic vehicle production.

"President Trump saved the U.S. auto industry and did more for autoworkers than any leader in history—withdrawing from TPP, renegotiating the Korea deal to restore the protective tariff on foreign pickup trucks, and replacing the NAFTA disaster with the U.S.M.C.A., which imposed tough auto rules-of-origin to defend American workers," it concluded. "That's why autoworkers will be voting for President Trump in massive numbers in 2024."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.