Trump ‘Kills’ California’s EV Mandate: ‘Now I Know Why Elon Doesn’t Like Me So Much’
President Donald Trump took some shots at Elon Musk while signing resolutions on Thursday killing California’s electric vehicle mandates.
Trump joked at the signing event that now he knows why Musk doesn’t like him anymore. Trump and Musk have exchanged insults in a war of words recently. Things were set off after Trump said he was “disappointed” in Musk’s opposition to his “Big Beautiful Bill” — which Musk argues will add to the deficit. Musk responded with a flurry of insults — some of them deleted now — including accusing Trump of not releasing the “Epstein files” because his name is in there.
Musk has since admitted some of his posts attacking the president went “too far,” while Trump has said he’s open to reconciling with his former ally and mega-donor.
“On my first day in office, I ended the Green New Scam and abolished the EV mandate at the federal level. We abolished it, which is basically that everybody will be driving an electric car within a very short period of time. Now we know why Elon doesn’t like me so much, which he does, actually. He does,” the president joked on Thursday.
Trump previously theorized that ending EV mandates was behind Musk’s opposition to his budget. According to the president, Musk never brought up a problem with EV mandates during their time working together. California’s EV rules were an effort to phase out gas-powered vehicles over the course of a few decades. The rules included stricter regulations and requirements for the sale of more EVs over time.
“I used to say I’m amazed that he’s endorsing me because that can’t be good for him. I’m abolishing the EV mandate,” Trump said of Musk.
He claimed he only asked the Tesla head once about EV mandates, and Musk said he had no problem with them as long as they are across the board for all companies. Tesla’s profit margin would be heavily impacted if EV tax credits ended.
“I once asked him about it. You never talked to me that he said, well, as long as it’s happening to everybody, I’ll be able to compete. It was a very interesting answer. I thought it was an honest answer, to be honest with you,” Trump said.
The president took a parting shot at Musk before moving on, saying the billionaire got “a little bit strange” at the end of his time as a special government employee.
“We’re saying you’re not going to be able to make electric cars or you’re going to not be forced to make all of those cars. You can make them, but it’ll be by the market, judged by the markets,” Trump said. “And that’s what he said. He said, as long as I’m on the same plane as everybody else, we’re going to do good. We make a better product. I said, that’s very cool. That was my answer. After that he got a little bit strange, but I don’t know why over much smaller things than that.”
Watch above via Fox News.
