WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the very first day of his return to the White House, President Donald Trump rolled back the mandates of his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden, who had previously put into place rules that would have eventually phased out gas-powered automobiles and required Americans to purchase only electric vehicles (EVs).
Trump made the announcement during his inaugural address on Monday, stating that “America’s war on gas” was officially over.
With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to my great American auto workers,” he said. “In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago.”
The Biden Administration in March 2024 had announced strict climate regulations intended to phase out gas vehicles and mandating that the majority of cars and light trucks sold in the country by 2032 were either electric or hybrid.
Trump’s decree during Monday’s address was expected, as both he and his campaign have been vocal about rolling back’s Biden’s EV mandates as well as reducing federal investment in environmental, social and governance (ESG), which addresses environmental issues related to climate change. Near the end of his first presidency, Trump came out in favor of retirement plans being banned from taking ESG-related issues into consideration when making investments on behalf of their clients.
In addition, Trump’s incoming admin is said to be in the process of rewriting rules that would result in regulators having less power over certain industries, particularly energy and automotive.
The rolling back of Biden-era mandates on the part of Trump, however, will not affect legislation passed by at least eight states in 2024 – with California being the first to enact the plan, followed by others – that will ban the sale of gas vehicles within their respective borders by the 2035 model year.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.