The Biden era gave us record inflation, exploding grocery bills, and car prices that required either a second mortgage or adopting a billionaire to co-sign the loan. But perhaps the most out-of-touch experiment of all was the collective fantasy that we could replace America’s long-standing love affair with gasoline — VROOM VROOM — with a battery-powered scavenger hunt for the nearest functioning charger.
Well, guess what? That romance with gas is back, baby. And it’s bringing with it the smell of sanity — a mixture of freedom, 87-octane, and Wendy’s fries eaten on a road trip where you don’t have to schedule an eight-hour charging nap in the parking lot.
According to The New York Times — which delivered the news like they were announcing the death of a beloved family goldfish — President Trump “threw the weight of the federal government behind vehicles that burn gasoline rather than electric cars.” As if “burn gasoline” is something normally whispered like a dirty secret. Hush, don’t let the climate lobby hear you, my Camry has a tank.
The Times went on to explain, with its usual heavy sighing, that the administration would weaken fuel efficiency requirements for millions of new vehicles. Translation: they’re making cars people actually want — bigger, safer, and capable of driving longer than your phone before it screams for a charger. No more being held hostage by “range anxiety,” a term invented to describe what happens when you’re praying the next exit has a charger that isn’t (a) broken, (b) blocked by a Prius owner filing their dissertation from the parking space, or (c) owned by the state of California.
These relaxed standards would save Americans an estimated $109 billion over five years and shave roughly $1,000 off the average price of a new car. The horror!
Imagine Americans… with extra money! That wasn’t confiscated to subsidize someone’s $78,000 electric status symbol that still can’t drive cross-country without scheduling sleepovers at truck stops.
Under Biden, automakers were pushed to hit 50.4 MPG. Under Trump, the standard shifts to 34.5 MPG in 2031 — which automakers can actually meet without inventing a magic rubber band engine powered by unicorn approval.
But here’s where the story gets really fun: the auto executives love it. Not a little. They’re tripping over themselves to applaud. Ford CEO Jim Farley said the move aligns with market realities. In other words: forcing us to build products most customers don’t want is expensive and dumb.
Farley continued, “We can make real progress on carbon emissions and energy efficiency while still giving customers choice and affordability. This is a win for customers and common sense.”
And somewhere, a CNN anchor fainted into a stack of unused EV-tax-credit paperwork.
So, listen: it turns out when you listen to actual drivers — the people who have to live real lives in real places — they don’t want the government dictating what they can drive. They don’t want to pay $7,000 more for something with the horsepower of a lawn tractor, made from rare earth minerals mined by children in Africa (don’t worry, White House press releases don’t mention that part).
Middle America — the backbone of Ford F-150 land — has been begging Washington to get its hands off the steering wheel. They don’t want lectures. They want reliable cars that work in winter, in rural America, and after a power outage — which happens when the entire neighborhood tries to plug in at once and the transformer explodes like a Michael Bay film.
This also puts an end to the comical idea that everyone must immediately transition to electric vehicles because… Elon promised? Washington spent years trying to turn America into a giant episode of MythBusters, except the myths were created by the very people testing them.
Remember Biden’s big EV plan to replace the entire federal fleet? Turns out all those shiny electric mail trucks… blew through so much taxpayer cash that even the auditors needed a cigarette break.
Electric innovation? Great. Mandated monoculture? Not great. Americans love options. We don’t like being told, “You will drive this, and you will be grateful.” Leave that attitude for communist train stations — the ones with a single track and a guard staring at you.
Now, President Trump is saying the quiet part out loud: let the market decide. And the market is saying: “I’d like a pickup truck that can haul the boat and make it to grandma’s house in one shot, please.”
And if you want electric? Go for it. No one is banning your rolling iPad on wheels. But you also shouldn’t get to force everyone else into that same lifestyle choice just because you enjoy spending Thanksgiving calculating kilowatt-hour conversion rates instead of eating pie.
Marc Thiessen of The Washington Post summed up the mood: “I voted for this.” Spoken like a man who had to drive cross-country in an EV once and vowed never again.
The Biden administration sold the American people a false choice — save the planet or enjoy driving. Trump just reminded us we can actually do both. Because responsible advancement doesn’t require punishing ordinary people for living ordinary lives.
So yes — let freedom ring. Let engines roar. Let that fuel-pump handle be grabbed with pride, not shame. Let the road trip live again — where the greatest fear isn’t a dead battery but your spouse changing the playlist to Coldplay.
America runs on freedom… and gasoline. And now, we get to enjoy both again.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines — and for the love of freedom — hit the road, Jack. And don’t ya plug in no more.