Democratic lawmakers spent years pushing the auto industry into the electric vehicle sector but are now critical of President Donald Trump for promoting Tesla and embracing its founder, Elon Musk.
Democrats have been at the forefront of the green energy movement, championing former President Joe Biden’s mandates to require more electric vehicle purchases, implementing strict emissions standards in their own states and delivering party-wide support for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, the landmark climate bill that implemented a tax credit of up to $7,000 for EV purchases, including Tesla models.
However, the same lawmakers that spent years promoting more electric vehicle sales have grown critical of America’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla, amid owner Elon Musk’s affiliation with the Trump administration.
Trump recently bought a red Tesla Model S as “a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.” The president showcased his new electric vehicle at the White House, similar to when Biden, in 2021, drove a Jeep Wrangler Hybrid on the White House South Lawn in accordance with his executive order to require half of new car and truck sales be electric by 2030.
But Trump’s Tesla purchase prompted backlash from Democratic lawmakers who accused him of not being focused on other issues.
“Grocery prices are soaring. Housing costs are skyrocketing. Retirement savings are plummeting. But Donald Trump thought today would be a good day to play car salesman,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a post on X.
However, the senator has previously supported the push for electric vehicles. For example, on her campaign website, Warren recalls being a “proud” original cosponsor of the Green New Deal resolution, which “commits the United States to a ten-year mobilization to achieve domestic net-zero emissions by 2030.”
Another Democrat, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., also railed against Trump’s promotion of Tesla despite previously voting to provide tax credits for Tesla purchases through the passing of the IRA.
“While Republicans were voting to take health care away from families and veterans, Donald Trump hosted a Tesla car show at the White House for his biggest donor,” Clark said in a post on X. “Peak corruption.”
Clark has previously championed investments in green energy vehicles and charging stations, praising Biden for signing an infrastructure law which granted the congresswoman’s state of Massachusetts $22.9 million to “build out a network of electric vehicle charging stations,” according to a 2022 press release.
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Steve Milloy, senior fellow at the Energy and Environment Legal Institute and former Trump EPA transition team member, detailed the negative impact such fires have on the environment.
“During an EV fire, more than 100 substances are emitted, including heavy metals, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, all of which can cause illness and death at high enough exposures. Research is underway to understand what if any actual risks to firefighters, the general public and the environment are posed by EV fires,” Milloy said.
“Keeping in mind that it is the dose that makes the poison, it will likely be difficult to assess such risks, especially as the pollutants are dispersed and diluted through the air,” Milloy told Fox. “But given that greens have pushed for laws that fine people for the act of mere littering, it would be inconceivably hypocritical for them not to condemn and support prosecution for the attacks on Teslas.”
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