Californians’ quality of life has plummeted under Governor Gavin Newsom’s leadership. Utility rates have <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/02/09/us-news/california-electricity-bills-spiked-39-over-six-years/?utm_term=Autofeed&amp;utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter#Echobox=1770684088">increased</a> 39% over the past six years, and the Golden State heavily <a href="https://x.com/SecretaryBurgum/status/2036586673337675939">imports</a> oil and gas from hostile nations like Brazil and Iraq. Yet, Governor Newsom is now seeking to fail up — planning to run for president in 2028. More importantly, though, it risks the spread of contagious, toxic ideas from California’s policy laboratory to the entire country.
Newsom’s low <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/02/18/us-news/california-voters-disapproval-of-gavin-newsom-hits-highest-level-since-2024-poll-show/">approval rating</a>, a meager 44% among Californians, hasn’t deterred his presidential aspirations. He gave this labyrinthine response in a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/03/24/gavin-newsom-interview-trump-2028-israel-00840635">recent interview</a> when asked if he was running: “You gotta have a big enough why, right? You gotta meet the moment. You gotta have the humility and the confidence at the same time to think that you can add value that doesn’t exist versus the lineup of other people.” This word salad would make Kamala Harris proud. Newsom clearly covets the Oval Office, but isn’t willing to say so yet.
Life with Newsom in charge is challenging. The governor&#8217;s tenure has seen him trade affordability and human flourishing for a radical policy agenda. His policies have <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program/states-have-adopted-californias-vehicle-regulations">begun to spread</a> to left-wing states. Cars, solar panels, and water are just some of Newsom’s policy weapons of choice. 
First, California’s <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/drive-forward-light-duty-vehicle-program/advanced-clean-cars">Advanced Clean Cars II</a> Act, which would require 100% of vehicles purchased by 2035 to be electric vehicles (EVs), has been <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program/states-have-adopted-californias-vehicle-regulations">adopted</a> by 12 other states. The EV example shows Newsom’s nanny-state mentality and logical contradictions. He claims the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQzuOT9MoO4&amp;t=1s">reason</a> we need EVs is “because people want something differently,” but is using government coercion to <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/12/us-news/trump-doj-sues-california-over-ev-mandate-forcing-mileage-rules-on-automakers/">force</a> people to buy EVs — meaning it’s not really about what people want. According to Newsom, without EV mandates, America will be left in “the dust” by China. Of course, that is totally backwards: EV mandates <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/10/27/the-ev-hangover-is-coming-00624344">harm</a> American automakers’ competitiveness, only aiding Beijing. Already, some states are jumping ship and reversing Newsom’s nonsensical lead: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/vermont-governor-pauses-electric-vehicle-requirements-2025-05-13/">Vermont</a>, <a href="https://landline.media/two-more-states-halt-enforcement-of-advanced-clean-trucks/">Oregon</a>, and <a href="https://www.autosinnovate.org/posts/press-release/eo-delaying-md-gas-ban">Maryland</a> have stopped enforcing their EV mandates.
Second, California <a href="https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards/energy-code-support-center/solar">requires</a> solar panel installations in all new nonresidential, multifamily, and single-family buildings with a few exceptions. All the while, electricity prices are astronomical due to solar power flooding the grid and regulations crippling baseload power. Since Newsom became governor, his <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/wall-street-journal-calls-gov-gavin-newsom-loosen-environmental-regulations-all-californians">regulatory madness</a> has <a href="https://fong.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-fong-fox-news-newsoms-war-energy-crippling-california-and">caused</a> over 300 energy companies to stop operating in California, and the number of oil drilling permit submissions has <a href="https://fong.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-fong-fox-news-newsoms-war-energy-crippling-california-and">fallen</a> by 95%. Yet climate mandates have made California susceptible to energy insecurity with increased renewable energy curtailments. This occurs when excess power is “thrown away” to avoid overloading the system. The <a href="http://www.caiso.com/informed/Pages/ManagingOversupply.aspx">California Independent System Operator</a> (CAISO), California’s grid operator, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65364">reports</a> that solar, one of the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/nuclear-power-most-reliable-energy-source-and-its-not-even-close#:~:text=Nuclear%20energy%20is%20considered%20reliable%20because:%20*,of%20America's%20power%20each%20year%20since%201990">least reliable</a> energy sources available, accounts for 93% of energy curtailments in 2024. Unsurprisingly, these mandates end up <a href="https://www.heritage.org/energy/commentary/renewable-subsidies-are-poisoning-the-nations-electricity-grid">poisoning</a> the electricity grid and raising power costs. No wonder California’s energy prices <a href="https://www.chooseenergy.com/electricity-rates-by-state/">rank</a> 49th out of 50 states.
Finally, Californians are permanently urged to <a href="https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/californias-water-crisis-isnt-a-drought-its-bad-policy/">ration</a> water and take very short showers. Why? Save water during droughts. However, the California water rationing only applies to urban areas and affects <a href="https://www.hoover.org/research/california-adopts-permanent-water-rationing#:~:text=only%20about%2010%20percent%20of%20California%E2%80%99s%20annual%20water%20consumption">10%</a> of California’s annual water consumption. Forcing rationing on the masses just to virtue-signal is the definition of bad policy. According to the EPA, practical water conservation involves a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/water-research/drought-resilience-and-water-conservation">focus</a> on infrastructure, not arbitrary mandates.
Under the full Newsom plan, a Californian’s daily routine could be as follows. After waking up, the Californian would eat breakfast — at a <a href="https://californiaglobe.com/fr/californias-war-on-plastic-becomes-a-war-on-food-producers/">far higher price</a> than the same meal would cost in another state. Then they would need to drive to work — but their state-mandated EV either <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251227004144.htm">needs maintenance</a> or is <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ev-charging-infrastructure-slowing-growth-here-technologies/760442/">out of charge</a>. They can’t go to work. So, they decide to stay home — in the sweltering heat. The air conditioning stays off at Newsom’s <a href="https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/wearing-a-fleece-jacket-newsom-tells-californians-not-to-use-ac-after-4-pm-to-save-energy-gavin-california-heat-wave-air-conditioning">request</a>. At their children&#8217;s school, the air conditioning <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article315103354.html">doesn’t work or perhaps doesn’t even exist</a>.
Newsom says his opponents do not care about the environment and just want money. He recently <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/03/19/california-is-taking-donald-trump-to-court-for-breaking-the-law-to-put-polluter-profits-before-american-lives/">accused</a> President Trump of “making deadly pollution great again.” Yet, of course, Newsom has <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3798720/california-great-place-to-do-business-newsom-donors/">no corporate interests</a>, and he simply wants the best for everyone. Sure.
If Newsom were to become president, he would do much of what he has already done in the Golden State: use his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gavin-newsom-california-governor-president-2028-moderate-7dfb281af0674e8b09304de94a6a8868">facade of moderation</a> to foist <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/gavin-newsom-record-democrat-california/685423/">radical agendas</a> on the public. Under Newsom’s tenure, each aspect of Californians’ lives has been put under a microscope — micromanaged, then mismanaged. The results plainly speak for themselves. Rampant crime, the skyrocketing cost of living, and resource mismanagement plague the Golden State. Even liberal Californians are <a href="https://www.aei.org/op-eds/how-voters-fleeing-california-turn-other-states-blue/">leaving</a> in droves to escape Newsom’s vision — the same vision he has for governing America.
Newsom wants to turn California&#8217;s environmental policy laboratory into a national experiment. The experiment has failed, yet Newsom is not reconsidering his hypothesis. Instead, he wants to make the United States his new lab rat.
* * *
Sydney Rodman is a visiting fellow with Independent Women’s Center for Energy and Conservation.

Networth And Chill With Guest Governor Gavin Newsom Featured Session – 2026 SXSW Conference And Festival

America Is Next For Newsom’s Failing Policy Experiments

Newsom’s Failed Environmental Experiment Could Flunk America

2028 presidential election

California

Democrats

electric vehicles

Energy

Gavin Newsom

Opinion

General Motors is set to lay off more than 2,000 workers in Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee, the company announced on Wednesday, citing &#8220;slower&#8221; EV sales.
GM&#8217;s Detroit-area electric vehicle plant was hit the hardest, with roughly 1,200 employees being informed that they were no longer needed, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2025/10/29/gm-cutting-hundreds-of-jobs-at-detroit-tennessee-ohio-ev-sites/86962834007/">reported</a>. The all-electric Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center will shut down completely from November 24 until January 5, after which it will operate on a single shift. Around 2,000 employees will stay employed at the plant, and cuts will be based on seniority.
Another 550 employees will be cut at GM&#8217;s Ultium Cells battery plant near Youngstown, Ohio, with 850 more workers expected to be laid off temporarily. At another GM Ultium Cells battery plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, 700 workers will be temporarily laid off as well, according to The Detroit News.
&#8220;In response to slower near-term EV adoption and an evolving regulatory environment, General Motors is realigning EV capacity,&#8221; the Michigan-based automaker said. &#8220;Despite these changes, GM remains committed to our U.S. manufacturing footprint, and we believe our investments and dedication to flexible operations will make GM more resilient and capable of leading through change. Impacted employees may be eligible for SUB pay and benefits in accordance with the National GM-UAW Agreement.&#8221;
Last week, GM said it would lay off around 200 salaried employees at its global tech campus in metro Detroit as part of a restructuring effort for its &#8220;design engineering teams,&#8221; CNBC reported.
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After President Donald Trump eliminated the Biden administration&#8217;s $7,500 EV tax credit and cut back on regulations for gas-powered vehicles, GM said that it would lose around $1.6 billion related to changes the company would have to make to its EV rollout, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/electric-vehicle-ev-slowdown-rcna237652">reported</a>.
“Following recent U.S. government policy changes, including the termination of certain consumer tax incentives for EV purchases and the reduction in the stringency of emissions regulations, we expect the adoption rate of EVs to slow,” GM said last month.
During the third quarter of this year, the automaker reported huge sales of EVs, doubling the numbers reported in the same quarter last year. The Q3 bump in EV sales, however, came before the tax credit was terminated on September 30, as part of Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill.&#8221;
The elimination of the EV tax credit and regulatory changes have also affected major EV companies, such as Tesla and Rivian, and other auto giants that have focused on producing more electric vehicles. Tesla sales dropped this year, and GM and Ford have <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-ceo-jim-farley-predicts-033138695.html">pumped the brakes</a> on EV production. Due to the Trump administration&#8217;s recent actions, Ford CEO Jim Farley predicted that &#8220;EV adoption will now only be about 5% of the U.S. market.&#8221;

GM’s EV Struggles Trigger Mass Layoffs In Three States

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President Donald Trump revoked California&#8217;s electric vehicle mandates, which have been adopted by nearly a dozen other states nationwide.
The president signed three congressional resolutions on Thursday, putting an end to California&#8217;s ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The California mandate was adopted by 11 other states, representing one-third of the auto market in the United States.
&#8220;We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,&#8221; Trump said at the White House. &#8220;They said it couldn&#8217;t be done, but boy, it had us tied up in knots for years. And they passed these crazy rules in California &#8230; the automakers didn&#8217;t know what to do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate ONCE AND FOR ALL.&quot; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/zOVvF5DKyF">pic.twitter.com/zOVvF5DKyF</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1933185013962404156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The move, made possible by Trump signing resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, was celebrated by a group representing major automakers, including GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Hyundai, and Volkswagen, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-sign-resolutions-nixing-californias-ev-rules-sources-2025-06-10/">reported</a>.
&#8220;The fact is these EV sales mandates were never achievable,&#8221; said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella. &#8220;In reality, meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla.&#8221;
U.S. automaker GM added in a statement, “We appreciate the actions taken by President Trump to sign H.J. Res. 88 into law and help align emissions standards with today’s market realities. We have long advocated for one national standard that will allow us to stay competitive, continue to invest in U.S. innovation, and offer customer choice across the broadest lineup of gas-powered and electric vehicles.”
One of the resolutions signed by Trump repeals a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waiver that was granted under the Biden administration and greenlit California&#8217;s mandate for at least 80% of new vehicles to be electric by 2035, according to Reuters. Trump will sign another resolution approved by the Republican-controlled Congress to rescind a 2023 EPA approval for California to require automakers to produce more zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. The third resolution eliminates the state&#8217;s low-nitrogen oxide regulation targeting heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles.
Republicans and auto companies have pushed for the EV regulations to be addressed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-gears-up-stop-california-2035-gas-vehicle-sales-ban">said</a> last month that the EPA&#8217;s waivers allowed California “to dictate emissions standards for the whole country – effectively imposing a nationwide electric vehicle mandate.” In May, the GOP-led House voted to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval for the EV mandate with the support of 35 Democrats. The Congressional Review Act allowed the Senate to bypass a filibuster to undo the EV regulations, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-votes-undo-biden-era-waiver-california-enabling-gas-car-ban">reported</a>.
In their vote, Senate Republicans were <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1925590423944257939">joined</a> by Michigan Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who said she has &#8220;a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.”
Trump signaled his support for ending California&#8217;s EV mandate while on the 2024 campaign trail.
“When I’m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it,” Trump told his supporters at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/1925624592481026347">said</a> his state would sue over Trump&#8217;s move &#8220;to protect California’s longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good-paying jobs on the line—but California won’t back down,&#8221; Bonta added.

Donald Trump

Trump Slashes California’s ‘Crazy’ Far-Reaching EV Mandates

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

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American auto giant General Motors is shifting its focus away from electric vehicle motors and back toward torque and horsepower.
GM said on Tuesday that it is scrapping its $300 million EV motor production plan at its Tonawanda engine plant in Buffalo, New York, and will instead invest $888 million in producing the sixth generation of V-8 engines, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/general-motors-to-invest-888-million-in-propulsion-plant-23ea7636?mod=hp_lista_pos5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. V-8 engines are typically used in full-size trucks, SUVs, and high-performance sports cars, such as the Chevrolet Corvette. The Detroit-based auto manufacturer hopes to roll out production of the new engines at the Buffalo plant in 2027.
The automaker is returning to focus on gas-powered engines as demand for EVs falls short of expectations, and state and federal governments ease pressure on requiring EV production. Last week, New York said it would pause penalties for shortfalls in EV production for two years, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/gm-invest-least-800-million-engine-production-new-york-facility-sources-say-2025-05-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>. The Republican-led U.S. Congress is also poised to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-votes-undo-biden-era-waiver-california-enabling-gas-car-ban?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republicans+Set+To+Block+California%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Radical%E2%80%99+Gas+Car+Ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overturn</a> the Biden administration&#8217;s move that allowed around a dozen blue states, including New York, to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
GM said the new generation of V-8 engines will improve performance while reducing emissions. The $888 million investment also includes updating machinery, equipment, tools, and facilities, according to the WSJ. New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said the investment will support 870 jobs, including protecting nearly 180 jobs believed to be at risk. The state government will also hand out $16.96 million in tax credits to GM in return for the investment in New York.
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GM&#8217;s massive investment in New York also comes as President Donald Trump pushes auto manufacturers to produce more vehicles and parts in the United States. GM CEO Mary Barra touted the commitment in Buffalo as a way for the company to invest in American manufacturing. In April, following Trump&#8217;s tariff on foreign auto imports, GM <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gm-to-increase-truck-production-in-u-s-as-trumps-auto-tariff-goes-into-effect?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;title=GM+To+Increase+Truck+Production+In+U.S.+As+Trump%E2%80%99s+Auto+Tariff+Goes+Into+Effect&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would ramp up production of light-duty trucks at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
A few weeks later, the auto company said it would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/general-motors-to-cut-back-on-manufacturing-at-canada-plant-over-trump-tariff?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=General+Motors+To+Cut+Back+On+Manufacturing+At+Canada+Plant+Over+Trump+Tariff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut back</a> on production at its truck plant in Ontario, Canada, likely resulting in around 750 workers getting laid off.

Chevrolet Corvette

GM Pumps Brakes On EV Motor Production, Invests Nearly $1 Billion In V-8 Engines

Electric cars

General Motors

Kathy Hochul

New York

Oil and Gas

Tariffs

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What we&#8217;re watching right now is disgusting.
Across American history, a number of large industrialists, bankers, and innovators have worked hand in glove with the American government when called upon to do so. Bankers worked with the federal government in order to essentially bail the United States government out of serious debt problems during World War II. Industrialists worked with the FDR administration in order to rev up the American war machine.
Nothing about Elon Musk’s actions is unprecedented. What is unprecedented is the idea that it&#8217;s good for the country if his company is taken down.
Hatred for President Trump is strong, but he has been invulnerable to that hatred, so the Left has turned their hatred toward Musk.
The Left hates Trump, but they&#8217;re tired of hating Trump. They got bored with it. Musk is the new hot thing to hate. And because Musk has dedicated himself to DOGE; because he is reviewing each department to identify possible waste, fraud, and abuse; because he is voluble on X; and because he is so rich, he has become persona non grata, enemy number 1.
That means the Left is now excusing actual acts of violence on Tesla dealerships. Entire sites have been set up to doxx Tesla owners. The <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tesla-owners-targeted-dogequest-website-musk-b2718404.html">UK Independent</a> reports, “As protests against DOGE head Elon Musk spread across the country, a website called ‘Dogequest’ has reportedly published the personal details of Tesla owners, leading to concerns about privacy and safety. The site reveals the names, addresses and phone numbers of Tesla owners on an interactive map and uses an image of a Molotov cocktail as a cursor.”
So too did 404 Media <a href="https://www.404media.co/dogequest-site-claims-to-dox-tesla-owners-across-the-u-s/">report</a> this week:
<blockquote>A website called “DOGEQUEST” has posted on a searchable map what it claims to be the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of Tesla owners across the United States, and says it will remove the data if an individual proves that they have sold their Tesla. The map also includes the addresses of Tesla dealerships, the rough locations of Tesla superchargers, and the personal information of employees of the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).</blockquote>
This is full-scale insane. Hundreds of thousands of people own Teslas.
I&#8217;m old enough to remember when Sarah Palin outlined districts she hoped Republicans could flip on a map, and when a nutjob who had nothing to do with the map shot Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Palin was blamed.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2163-the-left-s-assault-on-musk-continues-member-exclusive">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Here, people are putting up an actual map with the icon of a Molotov cocktail and the names of individual private people who own Teslas.
Somehow this isn&#8217;t a national scandal in any way. But it should be. It should be viewed as incitement to violence.
All of this comes after numerous high profile attacks on Tesla vehicles, including Tesla vehicles being set on fire at a Las Vegas dealership.
The vandalism against Tesla has absolutely surged, not just in the United States, but apparently also in Canada. Just today, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/world/canada/tesla-canada-musk-trump-tariffs.html#:~:text=But%20people%20in%20Canada%20have,the%20police%20said%20on%20Thursday." target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> reported, “People in Canada have done real damage to the vehicles and dealerships belonging to his electric car company, Tesla, according to the police. More than 80 Teslas had their tires punctured and bodies scratched at a lot in Hamilton, Ontario, the police said on Thursday. Several acts of vandalism against Tesla property have also been committed in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Left is celebrating this. The Daily Show audience actually cheered about Teslas being burned.
Imagine for just a second that there was a company associated with the Biden administration wherein Right wingers went to the factories where that company manufactured its product and began burning up the factories.
This is really ugly. Many of the same people cheering this are also cheering the alleged murderer Luigi Mangione, who shot and killed the head of United Healthcare.
It is truly amazing to watch how the Left is swinging even further Left. The far-Left has decided that resistance must eventually shade into Baader-Meinhof excuses for domestic terror and violence.
They — these environmental nutjobs — are going to wreck the largest electric vehicle company on planet Earth.
Notice where they are directing their energy. They&#8217;re not directing their energy toward the actual elected officials. There&#8217;s a congressional election next year. They could be directing their energy at Congress, but they&#8217;re losing because it turns out the Democratic Party is deeply unpopular. They could be directing all of their energy at President Trump, but they know they&#8217;re getting nowhere with that.
So, instead, they&#8217;ve decided  to attack the private company of a private individual.
It is not that Musk isn&#8217;t a public figure. He certainly is, and Tesla is publicly traded. But none of this has to do with government interventionism.
Typically, in a republic, the way to change policy is through voting. Even when lobbying, the threat is to change votes. The threat is that you are going to do something that is going to change the nature of the electorate, then change the nature of the people who are governing you.
But the Left is attempting to pressure a private company, so as to pressure the owner of that private company into doing something they would prefer he not do, through acts of vandalism.
It’s disgusting.

Teslas Set On Fire At Service Center In Las Vegas

The Left’s Assault On Musk Continues

Ben Shapiro

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Elon Musk

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Leftists

President Trump

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With the signing of six executive orders on the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of climate realism and energy security.
In electing President Trump, the American people have rejected the Left’s virtue-signaling climate policies that crush consumers, stifle innovation, and forfeit energy independence and abundant natural resources. So long, increased energy prices, overbearing regulations, and reliance on hostile foreign countries.
The president’s emphasis on undoing these destructive energy and climate policies signifies a long overdue shift from climate alarmism to commonsense policy. Gone are the days of moralistic global climate alliances and vacuous Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs that function as thinly veiled fronts for woke corporate capitalism.
The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Declaring a National Energy Emergency</a> executive order allows the administration to expand the nation’s plentiful energy infrastructure and develop a “reliable, diversified, and affordable supply of energy” to bolster national and economic security.
Dependence on other nations for energy allows them to weaponize our reliance for coercive purposes and wreak havoc on our markets. Germany provides an example of what to avoid. Dependence on Russian natural gas resulted in electricity surging more than 600 percent in the months following the invasion of Ukraine. Although prices have now returned to pre-invasion levels, “green” energy policies such as <a href="https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/germany#:~:text=The%20country's%20final%20three%20reactors,power%20of%20veto%20to%20both" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decommissioning</a> its last remaining nuclear power plants in 2023 are largely responsible for electricity prices being more than 3x the cost in 2019. Energy independence prevents this threat while unleashing supply diversity and competition, leading to greater affordability, accessibility, and innovation while stimulating job growth and exports to trade partners.
A second order, “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unleashing American Energy</a>” outlines a comprehensive energy strategy to promote energy production on Federal lands and waters, increase mineral processing, examine current energy regulations to ensure proper legal grounding, eliminate the “electric vehicle mandate” and restrictions on household appliances which burdened consumers, raised prices, and prohibited free market competition, and ensure public access to and scientific analysis of executive agency energy decisions.
His other orders include freeing <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-alaskas-extraordinary-resource-potential/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaska’s natural resources</a> from oppressive restrictions and encouraging exploration of the state’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) potential, restricting inefficient and expensive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/temporary-withdrawal-of-all-areas-on-the-outer-continental-shelf-from-offshore-wind-leasing-and-review-of-the-federal-governments-leasing-and-permitting-practices-for-wind-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wind power projects</a>, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/delivering-emergency-price-relief-for-american-families-and-defeating-the-cost-of-living-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cutting “coercive” federal climate policies</a> and oppressive regulations that only burden consumers through increased cost of transportation, housing, food, and fuel, and <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/putting-america-first-in-international-environmental-agreements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formally withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement</a>, an international alliance that disproportionately affected the United States and steered “American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance.”
These orders do not represent the rash, inflammatory actions of a climate denier, but the calculated, prudent strategies of a strong, sensible leader. Together, the president’s energy policies show a clear commitment to putting American taxpayers’ financial and physical security first while projecting a strong, independent national image on the world stage.
And most taxpayers agree that it’s time for change on climate policy. Climate change is a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/02/06/economy-remains-the-publics-top-policy-priority-covid-19-concerns-decline-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low priority</a> for the American people, but energy affordability and stability is an absolute necessity. In 2023, 75% of Americans surveyed said strengthening the economy was the most important policy objective to them and 52% said improving the energy system was their top priority. This also compares to how almost two-thirds of Americans said dealing with climate change is not important to them.
Even America’s largest banking establishments, at times strong proponents of climate wokeism, began <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/jpmorgan-says-leave-net-zero-banking-alliance-2025-01-07/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulling away from climate alliances</a> in the weeks leading up to President Trump’s inauguration. While they have much more to do along these lines, such actions are indicative of the shifting arc.
These trends reflect what many scientists have been arguing for years despite resistance from the Left. Most climate fearmongering has never materialized. Indeed, catastrophic predictions from the past 50 years have not been fulfilled, as the <a href="https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-of-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wrong Again Report</a> by Myron Ebell and Steve Milloy demonstrates. Climate alarmists consistently continue to be wrong and have truly never been able to make any scientific connections between what they are asking America and the world to do. To put it bluntly, as 2022 Nobel Physics laureate <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/16/john-clauser-nobel-climate-denial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Clauser declared,</a> climate change is not and has never been an existential threat.
President Trump’s climate policy agenda recognizes this reality and promises to enact commonsense change grounded in science, realism, and prudence, putting American consumers first and challenging the misguided ideological conformity prevalent among climate-forward countries. His executive orders are sending a strong message to American companies engaging in climate moralism and ESG practices: disrupting the American economy for virtue-signaling programs is unnecessary, unacceptable, and immoral.
But there is still much to be done to overcome the drastic effects the previous administration’s climate extremism had on the economy and the American consumer. Congress will have to work alongside the president to swiftly pass legislation that adequately protects American citizens and promotes U.S. energy stability and prosperity.
The president is right – America is in the middle of an energy crisis caused by an epidemic of climate moralism and extremism. Yet thanks to this new crusade of commonsense policy, American energy has the chance to reach its full potential – making it secure, independent, and prosperous once again.
* * *
Paul Teller is the Executive Vice President of Advancing American Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders At White House

President Trump’s Executive Orders Signify Return To Common Sense Energy Agenda

President Trump's Executive Orders Signify Return To Common Sense Energy Agenda

Climate Change

Natural gas

A coalition of energy experts on Thursday urged the incoming Trump administration to take dramatic action to ditch regulations imposed by the Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/environmental-protection-agency-epa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Environmental Protection Agency</a> and unleash American energy, according to a memo exclusively shared with The Daily Wire. 
Led by the American Energy Institute, a group of energy experts sent a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Top-10-EPA-Fact-Sheet_v2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> to Trump EPA nominee and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin ahead of his Senate hearing, outlining 10 steps they think he can take to roll back EPA abuse. The memo was also sent to Trump&#8217;s transition team and co-signed by the Energy &amp; Environment Legal Institute, Truth in Energy and Climate, and the American Lands Council. 
“For over five decades, the EPA has amassed a troubling record of overregulation, political abuse, and mission drift, often stifling innovation, burdening the economy, and undermining public trust,” American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac told The Daily Wire. “This plan lays the groundwork for realigning the agency’s focus to maintaining a safe environment while bolstering America’s energy and industrial production, reducing consumer costs, and promoting government accountability.”
The recommendations include freezing all EPA activities pending further review, prohibiting EPA staff from communicating with outside groups about agency activities, terminating all external science advisors, revising air quality and emissions standards, ending President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle mandate, ending policies based on climate alarmism, reforming EPA risk assessment procedures, eliminating the Office of Environmental Justice, and settling litigation. 
Many of the memo’s recommendations entail rolling back policies the Biden administration has implemented over the last four years. For example, the memo says that the Trump administration should “reduce pointlessly burdensome air quality” regulations imposed by Biden. 
&#8220;Reforming the EPA&#8217;s process toward risk assessment would help it to focus on real-world scenarios,&#8221; the memo says.
&#8220;Require data used as a basis for regulating be made publicly available during rulemaking,&#8221; the experts recommended. &#8220;Require cost-benefit analyses based on actual and demonstrable vs. imaginary costs and benefits.&#8221;
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“The EPA needs more draining than just about any other part of the Swamp,” Myron Ebell, chair of the American Lands Council and former leader of Trump’s EPA transition told The Daily Wire. “Biden&#8217;s greenhouse gas regulations on power plants are raising electric rates and making the grid less reliable, so Trump&#8217;s EPA must start undoing them immediately.”
Another former Trump EPA transition team member who signed onto the memo was Steve Milloy, now a senior fellow at the Energy &amp; Environment Legal Institute. He predicted that the agency would be one of the most resistant to the president’s agenda. 
“EPA has a 54-year history of junk science-fueled, job killing environmental overregulation. It is chock-full of anti-Trump ‘resistance’ and will be the toughest agency for President Trump to rein in,” he said. 
Zeldin’s hearing before the Senate Committee on Public Works and the Environment is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EST.

Donald Trump Campaigns In Pennsylvania With One Week Until Election Day

EXCLUSIVE: Energy Experts Urge Incoming Trump Administration To Stop EPA Abuse

Biden Administration

Lee Zeldin

Plans for battery factories in Indiana will be one step closer to reality thanks to a nearly $7 billion loan announced by the Biden administration on Monday.
The $6.85 billion loan will go to StarPlus, a joint venture between the U.S. auto manufacturer Stellantis and South Korean company Samsung SDI, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/business/stellantis-samsung-biden-loans-ev.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. President Joe Biden, who will leave office in less than two months, has given multiple loans to car manufacturers for electric vehicle battery plants, seeking to further his climate agenda.
The Biden administration&#8217;s announcement comes after Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares suddenly resigned on Sunday, citing &#8220;different views&#8221; between him and the board of directors. The company has underperformed financial expectations this year, and its sales have struggled, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/01/stellantis-ceo-carlos-tavares-resigns.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNBC</a>.
The Biden administration also announced last week that it is lending EV manufacturer Rivian $6 billion for a factory in Georgia. Rivian, which began producing EVs in the fall of 2021, has struggled to make money. The EV company was worth $150 billion three years ago but is now worth around $10 billion, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/27/business/biden-administration-loans-6-6b-to-struggling-tesla-rival-rivian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The StarPlus battery plants in Indiana will produce batteries for 670,000 vehicles per year and employ around 3,000 people, according to the Department of Energy. Stellantis owns major American car brands Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram. It also owns Fiat and Peugeot. The factories “will greatly expand E.V. battery manufacturing capacity in North America and reduce America’s reliance on adversarial foreign nations like China,” the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office said in a statement, according to the Times.
Since taking office, Biden has pushed to ensure that half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 are electric, offering Americans tax credits to purchase EVs. With President-elect Donald Trump taking over on January 20, 2025, however, those tax credits and EV incentives could be thrown out as Trump has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-would-consider-ending-7500-electric-vehicle-credit-2024-08-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signaled</a> his opposition to them. Tesla CEO and Trump ally Elon Musk <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-cut-bidens-ev-tax-credit-impact-auto-industry-experts-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this year that he also supports getting rid of the EV tax credit, saying, &#8220;Taking[ing] away the subsidies &#8230; will only help Tesla.&#8221;
The loan agreements between the federal government and Rivian and StarPlus are expected to be finalized before Trump takes office, and the contracts will be binding.
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Despite the Biden administration&#8217;s push for more EV sales, vehicle demand remains low. A report from the consulting firm McKinsey &amp; Co. published earlier this year found that 46% of Americans who bought an EV regret switching from a gas-powered car to an electric vehicle.
The Biden administration has loaned $34 billion to car companies such as Stellantis, Rivian, and Ford to produce low-emission or zero-emission vehicles.

Wagoneer S

Biden Admin To Loan Billions For Stellantis-Samsung Battery Factories

Business

Environment

Executive

Jeep

On Monday night, speaking at the Democratic National Convention, President Joe Biden insisted that as part of his effort, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers was installing 500,000 charging stations for electric cars across America.
But recent reports show that <a href="https://www.autoweek.com/news/a60702457/federal-funds-yield-only-8-ev-charging-stations/">fewer than twenty</a> have been put in place so far.
“Remember we were told we couldn’t get anything done,” Biden declared. “We couldn&#8217;t get anything done in the Congress. Well with your support, we passed the most significant climate law in the history of mankind. For $370 billion dollars, cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030, launching a climate corps, similar to AmeriCorps or Peace Corps creating tens of thousands of jobs for young people in the future who are going to make sure this continues.”
“Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy for American workers including the IBEW installing 500,000 charging stations all across America,” he claimed.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1723848169620000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3E3OUC3roIcb5fjwk-l_Ct">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Biden brags about building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations.
As of May, $7.5 billion has been spent — and only SEVEN chargers have been built. <a href="https://t.co/nd83euSDZ4">pic.twitter.com/nd83euSDZ4</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1825742680942350523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“The Biden Administration’s $7.5 billion effort to jump-start <a href="https://www.autoweek.com/ev/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://www.autoweek.com/ev/" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlink" data-vars-ga-call-to-action="the electric-vehicle charging landscape">the electric-vehicle charging landscape</a> is moving very, very slowly. Now more than two years after the program was signed into law in late 2021, only eight chargers have been put in place,” Autoweek <a href="https://www.autoweek.com/news/a60702457/federal-funds-yield-only-8-ev-charging-stations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in May, adding, “The allocated dollars are $5 billion through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program and $2.5 billion in Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) discretionary grant funding via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”
As far back as December 2023, POLITICO<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/05/congress-ev-chargers-billions-00129996" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> reported</a>, “Congress at the urging of the Biden administration agreed in 2021 to spend $7.5 billion to build tens of thousands of electric vehicle chargers across the country, aiming to appease anxious drivers while tackling climate change. Two years later, the program has yet to install a single charger.”
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
“The vast majority of chargers added in the US last year were bets by for-profit companies on the future of battery-powered driving,” Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-31/the-us-installed-more-than-1-000-ev-charging-stations-since-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> in January.
In contrast to Biden’s supposed effort, Elon Musk’s Tesla has been quite successful in its undertaking; as Reason Magazine <a href="https://reason.com/2024/05/30/7-5-billion-in-government-cash-only-built-8-e-v-chargers-in-2-5-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed out</a> at the end of May, stating that Musk’s company had a “network of Superchargers” that included “over 57,000 DCFC chargers around the world and generated an estimated $1.74 billion of revenue in 2023 alone. Just in the <a href="https://insideevs.com/news/705972/tesla-supercharging-network-roughly-6000-stations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth quarter of 2023</a>, the company built 357 new stations, accounting for 3,783 charging ports. &#8230; Around <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-31/the-us-installed-more-than-1-000-ev-charging-stations-since-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-thirds</a> of all public chargers in the U.S. are manufactured for Teslas.”

MixCollage-20-Aug-2024-11-21-AM-4410

Biden Claims Labor Union ‘Installing 500,000 Charging Stations’ For EVs. Fewer Than 20 Put In Place So Far.

Democratic National Convention

Joe Biden

Politics

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump discussed his relationship with Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk on Thursday, saying that the two have a &#8220;very good&#8221; connection.
Musk &#8220;fully&#8221; endorsed Trump shortly after a would-be assassin hit the former president in the right ear at his Butler County, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13.
&#8220;Elon and I have a very good relationship. As you know, he endorsed me very strongly,&#8221; Trump said during an interview with &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; on Thursday morning. &#8220;Somebody told me he was going to give me $45 million a month. I said that sounds like a lot, and even for Elon, that&#8217;s a lot. &#8230; There was a reporter that wrote it, but he never told me he was giving me $45 million, but he did say, &#8216;I strongly endorse you,&#8217; despite the fact that I&#8217;m against the electric car mandate.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Donald Trump responded to questions about his relationship with Elon Musk and addressed the WSJ hoax claiming that Musk was giving him $45 million a month:
“Elon and I have a very good relationship. He endorsed me very strongly.
Somebody told me he was going to give me $45… <a href="https://t.co/PMmzQXJTau">pic.twitter.com/PMmzQXJTau</a>
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1816483245128589344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After Trump said at the Republican National Convention that he would &#8220;end the electric vehicle mandate on day one,&#8221; Musk <a href="https://x.com/teslaownersSV/status/1814163685021229436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814165239602012523%7Ctwgr%5Eddbdadd00b74d86c63c98afc766adedfc5bf6638%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teslarati.com%2Felon-musk-trump-promise-end-ev-mandate-day-one%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on his social media platform X, &#8220;A surprising number of people think that Tesla survives on subsidies. That is true of our competitors, but not of Tesla.&#8221; Asked to comment specifically on Trump&#8217;s proposal to end EV mandates, Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1814664480044748999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814664480044748999%7Ctwgr%5Eddbdadd00b74d86c63c98afc766adedfc5bf6638%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teslarati.com%2Felon-musk-trump-promise-end-ev-mandate-day-one%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;It will be fine.&#8221;
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Musk was planning on donating $45 million a month to help elect Trump, but Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-denies-that-hes-donating-45m-per-month-to-elect-trump-says-hes-making-donations-at-a-much-lower-level" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> that report during a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/dr-peterson-x-elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire+ interview</a> on Monday with psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson.
“What’s been reported in the media is simply not true. I’m not donating $45 million a month to Trump,” Musk told Peterson. “What I have done is created a PAC [political action committee] or Super PAC … the America PAC.”
In a follow-up tweet on Tuesday, Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1815911188024225967">wrote</a>, “I am making some donations to America PAC, but at a much lower level and the key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy &amp; individual freedom. Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit &amp; freedom.”
Musk, who supported Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, has become increasingly critical of the Left and the Democratic Party.
&#8220;Years ago, I think probably the Democratic Party was the party of meritocracy and of personal freedom,&#8221; Musk <a href="https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1815768540097495385" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Peterson. &#8220;They used to be the free speech party, and these days, they seem to be the censorship party under the guise of hate speech. &#8230; The Democrats are also promoting DEI, which is really just another form of racism and sexism.”

Donald Trump/Elon Musk

Trump Says He Has ‘Very Good Relationship’ With Elon Musk ‘Despite The Fact That I’m Against The Electric Car Mandate’

Trump Says He Has 'Very Good Relationship' With Elon Musk 'Despite The Fact That I'm Against The Electric Car Mandate'

2024 Election

Elections

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was confronted over the weekend about President Joe Biden&#8217;s attempt to push Americans to buy electric vehicles and his administration&#8217;s failure to turn billions of dollars in federal investment into a network of charging stations.
Buttigieg faced the questions during a Sunday CBS News interview on &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with host Margaret Brennan when asked about former President Donald Trump hammering Biden over the issue on the campaign trail.
Brennan played a video clip of Trump saying: &#8220;Do you notice [Biden]&#8217;s trying to save the electrical vehicle but not the gas-powered, which is the vehicle that everybody wants. They&#8217;re going crazy with the electric car, costing us a fortune. We&#8217;re spending hundreds of billions of dollars subsidizing a car that nobody wants and nobody&#8217;s ever gonna buy.&#8221;
Brennan responded to the clip of Trump&#8217;s remarks by stating: &#8220;He&#8217;s not wrong.&#8221;
Buttigieg insisted that Trump was wrong, to which Brennan responded: &#8220;On the purchasing, he&#8217;s not. Of the 4 million vehicles purchased, you know what- 269,000 electric vehicles were sold in the US market. It&#8217;s up like 2%.&#8221;
Later in the interview, Brennan pressed Buttigieg about the $7.5 billion investment that taxpayers made back in 2021 for a charging network for electric vehicles that has produced only seven or eight charging stations total, a job that Buttigieg is supposed to be overseeing, Brennan said.
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Buttigieg claimed that they were really hard to build and that 500,000 would be built in the next six years after the administration had built less than ten after three years.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Pete Buttigieg says climate change effects are &quot;already upon us in terms of our transportation&quot;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wtslLwDQopk?start=261&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

SiriusXM’s Julie Mason Hosts A Town Hall With Sec. Pete Buttigieg, Presented With The Institute Of Politics

Buttigieg Grilled Over Biden Admin’s Push For Electric Vehicles, Failure To Build Charging Network

Pete Buttigieg

President Joe Biden has made green energy a cornerstone of his policy agenda, investing tens of billions to promote renewable energy and electric cars.
In April, the administration <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/04/biden-harris-administration-announces-historic-20-billion-in-awards-to-expand-access-to-clean-energy-and-climate-solutions-and-lower-energy-costs-for-communities-across-the-nation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> a plan for $20 billion in awards to foster clean energy in lower-income communities, <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-approves-eighth-offshore-wind-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a new offshore wind turbine project, and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-7-billion-solar-all-grants-deliver-residential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> $7 billion in new grants to develop solar power.
However, there are some major reservations behind Biden&#8217;s full-steam-ahead approach to renewable energy — principally the concern about the fact that China almost totally controls the production of clean energy components.
According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-04-16/china-extends-clean-tech-dominance-over-us-despite-biden-s-ira-blueprint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>, China possesses more than 80% of the global manufacturing capacity for 11 clean energy components, including parts necessary for the building of solar panels and electric car batteries. It also holds a majority of the manufacturing capacity for parts necessary for the production of wind turbines.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇨🇳 &#8211; China’s share of global production capacity is now above 80% for 11 clean technologies • Massive Chinese investments mean that China&#39;s clean tech rise may not be over • Beijing also invested US$546bn in its own energy transition in 2022, around half of global financing <a href="https://t.co/XWUd08RyKG">pic.twitter.com/XWUd08RyKG</a>
&mdash; Agathe Demarais (@AgatheDemarais) <a href="https://twitter.com/AgatheDemarais/status/1785202424908828998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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By contrast, the United States controls 0% of the global manufacturing capacity for more than half of the components, and its highest capacity share is only 10% for hydrogen electrolyzers. U.S. allies like Japan, South Korea, and others in Europe also woefully lag behind China in clean tech production.
China dominates the green energy supply chain, from raw materials to components to finished products. It <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/29/china-clean-green-energy-technology-trade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">produces</a> 80% of the world&#8217;s solar panels, while the U.S. makes only 2%, and two-thirds of the wind turbines. Additionally, Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/4/20/are-chinese-evs-taking-over-the-car-market#:~:text=Chinese%20EVs%20already%20make%20up,the%20last%20couple%20of%20years." target="_blank" rel="noopener">comprise</a> 60% of global sales. China exported $146 billion worth of EVs, lithium-ion batteries, and solar components in 2023.
A single Chinese solar company, Tongwei Group, plans on expanding its facilities and aims by the end of the year to produce four times the amount of solar cells installed by the entire United States last year, The Washington Post reported.
China will be the “main force leading the global energy transition,” Tongwei Chairman Liu Hanyuan told WaPo.
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China&#8217;s effort to become the preeminent manufacturer of green tech comes as the Chinese Communist Party searches for new ways to expand the nation&#8217;s economy as it remains comparatively sluggish in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-goes-all-in-on-green-industry-to-jolt-ailing-economy-2f836395" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. It has provided massive subsidies to green tech-related companies to stimulate the growth of the sector.
China is also poised to control the raw materials that are used to build those green energy technologies, largely through its growing influence in Africa.
As of 2022, African nations barely produced any of the world’s supply of lithium, but according to experts, Africa is sitting on a potential lithium bonanza. While Australia mined 55,000 metric tons of lithium in 2021, Zimbabwe, a landlocked nation in southern Africa, is projected to extract over 100,000 tons of lithium by 2031, <a href="https://archive.is/0v90F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Financial Times. Mali, in West Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in Central Africa, are also expected to become major producers of lithium while Namibia, Ghana, and Ethiopia will become moderate producers.
The problem for the U.S. stems from the fact that China has been investing in these countries for years, and China owns or partially owns many of the companies that are poised to exploit the coming lithium boom. The top lithium-producing companies in both Mali and the DRC are partially owned by China, while 3 out of the 4 major lithium mining companies in Zimbabwe are entirely owned by the communist nation.
Just one lithium mine in Zimbabwe, owned by a Chinese company, is estimated to hold up to 11 million metric tons of the mineral, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/09/is-the-us-falling-behind-china-in-africas-lithium-industry-.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CNBC. Zimbabwe banned the export of raw lithium in December 2022 to encourage domestic processing, but the three Chinese-owned companies, which have invested $678 million into lithium projects in the country and have announced plans for development projects that reach into the billions, are exempt from the regulation. Indeed, Zimbabwe has been a major <a href="https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202301/17/WS63c5fbf3a31057c47ebaa050.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beneficiary</a> of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a foreign investment and infrastructure policy that critics have argued is a debt trap for poorer nations. As of 2023, China has invested tens of billions in African nations, including Zimbabwe, the DRC, Mali, and Ghana — all places where mining is projected to spike in the coming years.
Additionally, the DRC has a stranglehold on the mining of cobalt, another crucial mineral in the production of EV batteries, producing an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/cobalt-mining-transforms-city-democratic-republic-congo-satellite/story?id=96795773#:~:text=The%20Democratic%20Republic%20of%20the%20Congo%20produces%20an%20estimated%2070,those%20more%20in%2Ddemand%20minerals." target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> 70% of the world’s supply. Chinese companies also have significant <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/world/congo-cobalt-mining-china.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">control</a> over those mines in the DRC and ones in Zambia. In 2020, China held complete or partial ownership in 15 of the 19 operating cobalt mines in the DRC, The Economist <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/02/28/how-america-plans-to-break-chinas-grip-on-african-minerals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Biden&#8217;s zeal to transition the U.S. away from fossil fuels has left it vulnerable to China&#8217;s control of the supply chain for green technologies. Though China&#8217;s monopoly, at least on components and finished products, is unlikely to last forever, it currently possesses a decisive advantage over every other nation on Earth that it will certainly use to its economic and strategic advantage. To compete with China&#8217;s state-sponsored green revolution, the Biden administration would have to vastly increase government subsidies for green tech initiatives and support private efforts to gain an innovation advantage over the CCP.

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China Has Complete Stranglehold On Essential Components For Biden’s Vaunted ‘Green Revolution’

China Has Complete Stranglehold On Essential Components For Biden's Vaunted 'Green Revolution'

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