Biden Revs up for Re-Election but ‘Woke’ Electric Cars Could Drive Him Around the Bend as Trump vows to back gasoline engines

William FurneyOct 26, 2023

Minute Read

The issue of electric cars in the United States has become such a political hot potato that some politicians are reluctant to even discuss the greener form of transport. Not President Biden, and it could cost him at next year’s presidential election, if he becomes the Democratic candidate.

Support for EVs

The Biden administration plans to make half of all vehicle sales electric by 2030, and has announced a range of measures to support the transition from combustion to battery powered vehicles in a bid to protect the environment.

Millions of EVs in the USA

Currently there are over 3 million EVs on America’s roads and more than 135,000 public chargers where drivers can power up their vehicles, according to the White House.

“Because of President Biden’s leadership and historic investments, electric vehicle sales have tripled and the number of publicly available charging ports has grown by over 40 percent since he took office,” it said in a statement earlier this year.

Autoworkers’ Woes

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Millions of people driving EVS is not music to the ears of traditional car manufacturers like General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — the Big Three — or their workers, many of whom are on strike.

Bigger Strike Action

The United Auto Workers labor union expanded its strike on Tuesday to a GM plant in Texas, in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. All three automakers are now affected by the industrial action that began on September 15 and has forced the closure of some of the most profitable vehicle manufacturing facilities in the world, Reuters news agency reported. The row comes at a time when the automakers are increasingly developing electric models and workers fear they may lose their jobs as a result.

UAW for Trump Presidency

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More UAW members support Trump for president than Biden, according to a new poll of people in Michigan who identified themselves as auto workers, although the former president’s lead is marginal: 46 percent for Trump compared to Biden’s 43 percent.

Trump: ‘Useless EVs’

Trump addressed the issue of electric vehicles at a rally last month, lambasting them as only good for short runs and products that people don’t really want.

“I don’t get why Ford and GM, why these carmakers, aren’t fighting … to make cars that are going to sell, to make cars that are going to be able to go on long distances,” he told supporters.

Michigan Focus

If chosen in primaries early next year, president Biden and former president Trump, who may become the Republican nominee for next year’s presidential election, will likely clash over EVs and traditional automobiles in Michigan, home of the American auto industry and a swing state. Biden won the state in the 2020 election, going on to win the presidency, while Trump got the most votes in Michigan the year he was elected, in 2016.

A ‘Political Issue’

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ford CEO Jim Farley lamented the fact that EVs had become a decisive issue among voters and politicians.

Battery-powered vehicles had “become a political football,” he told the newspaper.

Biden ‘EV Acceleration’

President Biden’s administration is working to “accelerate the transition to electric vehicles,” and local and state governments have been tasked with “leveraging federal funds to expand electrification of their vehicle fleets,” the White House said in a statement. The program also aims to expand EV charging points around the United States.

Federal EV Moves

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At the federal level, Biden has ordered all federal agencies to make the transition to all-electric by vehicles by 2027.

“Federal agencies are committing to deploy an additional 24,000 charging stations at federal facilities by the next fiscal year, adding to the more than 5,000 charging stations already installed at Federal facilities nationwide,” the White House said.

The Green Vote

Democrats will be hoping that President Biden’s support of EVs provides him with a boost in the polls and among voters who are concerned about the environment and want to see more EVs on America’s roads, analysts say.

‘Woke’ Policies

But some Republicans say such “woke” policies don’t go down well in Red States and so they are pinning their hopes on swing states like Michigan to help get the potential candidacy of Donald Trump back into the White House. With automotive workers’ jobs on the line as the use of EVs rises, many voters will be looking at their bank balances and also the economy when they decide on the next president, political observers say.